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How does Captain America's shield remain virtually indestructible when subjected to Hulk's force or Thor's hammer?
The answer lies in the composition of the shield: a synthetic alloy composed of fictional elements vibranium and proto-adamantium. The characteristics of this metal fusion allow the shield to absorb energy and endure incredible strength.
Associate Professor Kiran Solanki works with PhD students in materials science and mechanical engineering on a new thermally stable and nanostructured copper and tantalum alloy. Photographer: Jessica Hochreiter / ASU
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Researchers from Arizona State University and the Army Research Laboratory have teamed up to push the boundaries of materials science outside the Marvel Universe. They designed a copper and tantalum alloy that can withstand extreme impacts and extreme temperatures, bringing society closer to real-world materials with the power of superheroes.
Kiran Solanki, Associate Professor of Engineering Schools Ira A. Fulton, is working on the alloy of copper and tantalum, which could be used in the protective equipment of the armed forces and in spacecraft intended for exploration in deep space. The same methodology can also be applied to other materials, such as nickel or iron, to develop more resilient transport and sustainable infrastructure.
The ASU team, composed of Solanki, Professor Pedro Peralta, six PhD students in Materials Science and Mechanical Engineering, as well as Kristopher Darling, Cyril Williams and B. Chad Hornbuckle from the Army Research Laboratory, recently published an article on alloying in Nature Communications: "Abnormal mechanical behavior of nanocrystalline binary alloys under extreme conditions."
Most structural metals undergo sudden deformation when they are subjected to shocks and extreme temperatures, such as the force of an automobile accident or the impact that occurs when of a ballistic event. When a typical metal is quickly deformed, it loses its ability to deform ductile and becomes brittle, absorbing relatively little energy before breaking or breaking.
This instability motivated the multidisciplinary research team to improve the toughness of coarse-grained metals and alloys to prevent deformation and metal failure. They have created a nanocrystalline copper-tantalum alloy with improved technical properties to maintain a relatively constant level of mechanical strength and microstructure stability.
"The technical challenge was to make a material with an average grain size of about 50 nanometers (one billionth of a meter) and to remain stable when converted into useable parts or shapes," said Solanki, co-author. from Journal.
The unusual combination of properties of the copper-tantalum alloy results from a process of treatment that creates distinct nanoclusters of tantalum. As the temperature increases, the size or spacing of these nanoclusters does not change significantly, giving the material remarkable stability and strength.
Kristopher Darling, Army Research Laboratory
"Within these very small grains, we have built a microstructure even smaller than the grain size because of tantalum nanoclusters," said Darling, a materials researcher in the Lightweight and Specialty Metals branch of the US Army Research Laboratory. "This doubles the strength and stability of the material, making it insensitive to deformation reactions."
The alloy can withstand high impact rates and temperatures above 80% of their melting point, up to 1,073 kelvin (about 1,472 degrees Fahrenheit).) with very little change in its microstructure.
The high strength and good electrical conductivity of this material makes it ideal for use in ballistic protection applications of armed forces, such as armored vehicles, combat equipment and other equipment for members of the military services, where the characteristics physical material could help save lives.
These mechanical properties have never been observed before in the literature on coarse or nanocrystalline materials.
"Our team is bringing the materials closer to the theoretical limit and going beyond what is perceived as possible," Solanki said.
"We went from one extreme to the other and showed that the material was just as superior at both levels," Solanki said. "We are eager to see where we can stretch this material."
Solanki thanks the Fulton Schools for allowing the innovative development of the team. He was able to recruit doctoral students from two disciplines to pave the way for this discovery.
In addition, collaboration with the Army Research Laboratory has made the project a success, with the team developing a stronger alloy than most other structural materials.
According to Darling, the Army Research Lab has put in place a solid program of designing nanostructured metals in bulk thermally stable for at least six years. However, the laboratory's ability to produce high quality bulk samples has allowed for additional characterization that many other universities and laboratories have not been able to do.
"It is this advantage that has led us to discover the many unique deviations of the physical and mechanical response, which open these materials to unforeseen or predicted advanced applications in extreme environments," Darling said. "We are discovering things that people did not think were possible."
The copper-tantalum alloy was originally developed to replace copper-beryllium, a high-performance alloy known for its strength, conductivity, hardness and corrosion resistance. Beryllium copper is essential for a range of applications, but handling, manufacturing and machining of beryllium can cause severe lung disease called chronic beryllium disease. For example, the International Agency for Research on Cancer and the National Toxicology Program have identified the alloy as a carcinogen.
The team is continuing its efforts to replace copper-beryllium with an equally superior metal alloy, with similarities in the mechanical properties of strength, conductivity, hardness and corrosion resistance. The alloy of copper and tantalum is a step in this direction.
Thanks to the combined efforts of the teams, the company could soon have access to extremely powerful materials without compromising the well-being and health of the people who make them.
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