The toughest sword in history?

S

Slip

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Nov 24, 2000
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www.questek.com

This company claims their new cyber alloy is going to revolutionise steel products. They also claim that they've forged the toughest broadsword every made using their new materials... what do you think?

Also- I apologise if this is in the wrong forum, but I thought it might get more traffic here than in the sword forum. Plus, I think this is really a question about materials and goes beyond the fact that what's in question is a broadsword.

:p comments?
 
This has been discussed both on the General forum and in the Busse Combat forum. Last time I checked there was no hard data on the impact toughness nor the ductility. Yes the hardness is excellent, but that does not imply great toughness nor durability.

-Cliff
 
In addition to the info Cliff has provided, I believe the hardness figures they cite are primarily the result of a case hardening process; which is great for gears and dies, but not so good for blades.
 
Betcha I can cut through it with my Ginsu! :)
I'll believe it when Cliff tests it.
 
In looking at that blade--the Dragonslayer--it looks to me like Damascus. Is it possible that they made some pattern-welded composite with their stuff as one of the steels? If so, then they might actually have something there...

Still, I'd want to see it in action, and after a good, solid year-long torture test. That, and can anybody work it into an ABS Mastersmith blade?

Wonderin'...
 
in french, C69 ould be rougly the same as 1069.. which would make an excellent sword steel.

the pics they show are defenitely a replica of the sutton-hoo sword, found in a kings grave in north England.
Here are more replica's by Markus Balback: http://www.schmiede-balbach.de/damast.htm#sutthoo2

... It looks like regular damascus, but nicely made tough.. if they sell that damascus as 10 $ a pound, they can send me a lot over !

Superstrong steel... pfffff.... no way. i don't think swords get any better when made from 1095, 5160, 52100, W-1 or 1084-M ... off course, well treathed and forged by an expert.

greetz, bart.
 
I think that there will always be a quest for a "miracle metal" and always be someone around saying that they have found it.
 
These people are NOT talking about a normal steel, they are talking about an alloy with the following ingredients:

Co 27.8 - 28.2 %
Ni 2.9 - 3.1 %
Cr 5.0 - 5.2 %
Mo 2.4 - 2.6 %
V 0.015 - 0.025 %
C 0.09 - 0.11 %
Fe balance (60.8 - 61.8 %)

Thats what they call C69 and this is as far away from 1069 as the moon. It reminds me of some newer high alloy mixtures developped to build jet turbine blades. I know them from the metallurgic research institute of the University of Aachen in Germany.

Well, i think that it should be tested before saying that it is good or bad. Just two remarks.
First, we once have been given a steel from the same direction (jet engine) which is still prominent with a lot of makers today. This is 154CM.
Second, i think that these guys make the same mistake as a lot of others, saying that high (rockwell) hardness is similar to high cutting ability. Talonite proofs that this is not true.

Achim
 
The toughest sword ever must be the laser sabre from Star Wars. Does not seem to loose edge and cuts steel like butter. You could argue that it's not a metal sword and if this disqualifies it, I think a sword made of the Rosta-Frei supper-alloy (see the posts made by the BF member with the same name) will beat any other sword :D
 
HJK :

I'll believe it when Cliff tests it.
Click to expand...

Usually the only way to get a look at materials/products before they are released is to agree not to discuss your experiences with it in public. This is why it is very rare for me to engage in such activities. I have no desire for a friend to ask me about a product, know there are serious flaws, but not be able to say anything.

Jim :

Would a 25 inch blade of 1/4" ATS-34 be any good?
Click to expand...

ATS-34 is one of the more brittle steels used in modern cutlery, so regarding the toughest sword, no its not a great choice.

The alloy in question is a very high alloy case hardening material. The company can also control the depth of the case hardening I believe to some extent. However considering the cross section of a well cutting knife blade, a fair percentage of it would be at full hardness (~68 RC) and thus would have no benefits of the shock resistant core.

-Cliff
 
Cliff is right. The problem is that 68 HRc for a sword edge is way too hard. If, in a fight, you hit something hard, another sword or a rock for example, chances are that big pieces will go breaking out of the edge. And then you have no possibility to regrind the edge, because you will end up in the soft part and will have to re- case harden it, too. Can you do that? A normal blade, for example made from differentially hardened and tempered spring steel, will show some nicks and dents after hitting something hard, but these can be ground or even cold forged out.

Achim
 
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