Hi,
Although I've worked with some wizards in that field.
Compounds, alloys, HIPs, mixtures, matrices, etc. There are a lot of materials out there, many not available to people outside of R&D labs. I suspect that if swords were still serious weapons, those labs would have applied those materials or developed better ones. Just one, NiTiNOL, comes to mind as a much better sword material than any steel. It is a memory metal, it is almost totally resistant to any form of corrosion, it holds an edge better than carbon steel, it is comparable in density (maybe a bit lighter), on impact it goes through a martensite-austenite transition that can make it (locally and depending on mixture, grain size, etc) almost three times harder than steel, yet the remainder of the blade remains ductile and soft.
And that's just one material. From my scant knowledge of a few dozen. I suspect that "steel is still the king of sword metals" is a case of availability. I don't know of a modern swordsmith that has (or could even begin to afford) a modern materials lab. Hell, enough NiTiNOL to make the blade for the sword you are buying would put you back about two grand. The equipment needed to HIP that material would cost a goodly ten million.
Nope, with the only source of income for swords being collectors and aficionados, a DoD type research project is highly unlikely. So steel *is* the best material -- of those that the sword makers have tried or could reasonably be expected to try. And, of course, few collectors would want a truly modern sword anyway -- else why is there not a single sword with a decent (pistol) grip outside of the fencing community?
--Pete
Although I've worked with some wizards in that field.
Compounds, alloys, HIPs, mixtures, matrices, etc. There are a lot of materials out there, many not available to people outside of R&D labs. I suspect that if swords were still serious weapons, those labs would have applied those materials or developed better ones. Just one, NiTiNOL, comes to mind as a much better sword material than any steel. It is a memory metal, it is almost totally resistant to any form of corrosion, it holds an edge better than carbon steel, it is comparable in density (maybe a bit lighter), on impact it goes through a martensite-austenite transition that can make it (locally and depending on mixture, grain size, etc) almost three times harder than steel, yet the remainder of the blade remains ductile and soft.
And that's just one material. From my scant knowledge of a few dozen. I suspect that "steel is still the king of sword metals" is a case of availability. I don't know of a modern swordsmith that has (or could even begin to afford) a modern materials lab. Hell, enough NiTiNOL to make the blade for the sword you are buying would put you back about two grand. The equipment needed to HIP that material would cost a goodly ten million.
Nope, with the only source of income for swords being collectors and aficionados, a DoD type research project is highly unlikely. So steel *is* the best material -- of those that the sword makers have tried or could reasonably be expected to try. And, of course, few collectors would want a truly modern sword anyway -- else why is there not a single sword with a decent (pistol) grip outside of the fencing community?
--Pete
How big was the aquarium in Noah's ark?