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Do you know if there's been experimentation with tungsten alloying of aluminum in the past? The thing that surprises me here is that if Apple did create an ent

by iaw 11y ago

Do you know if there's been experimentation with tungsten alloying of aluminum in the past? The thing that surprises me here is that if Apple did create an entirely new alloy with novel properties, why weren't those metallurgical characteristics already known? It's not like metallurgy is a new field.

amatus 11y ago
Sorry, I only know some XRF, I don't know metallurgy.
rsfern 11y ago
It seems there's been a bit of research into Aluminum Tungsten systems[1]. The alloy systems described in the abstract are strengthened by particle formation (also called precipitation hardening), which is the primary strengthening mechanism used in most Al alloys[2]. In general, alloy design is an extremely high dimensional problem. You have composition, the forming processes, and heat treatments which all can profoundly affect the properties of the finished product. It's only since the fifties or so that we've really started to understand the internal structures of metals and how they affect properties like strength, and there are many open questions yet. [1] http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11661-008-9593-3 http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11661-008-9593-3 [2] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precipitation_hardening https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precipitation_hardening
bigger_cheese 11y ago
I'm a materials engineer I graduated in 2010 back when I was at uni very little of the curriculum was dedicated to non-ferrous metallurgy. We probably spent as much time studying ferrous alloys as we did on Aluminium, Titanium, Copper and Nickel combined. That said I suspect the reason is likely patent related. Metallurgy is not a new field but Aluminium alloying is relatively new wasn't really until after WW2. Alot of industrial research tends to be locked away behind patents.
racecar789 11y ago
Heat treatment is a dark art. What works for one heat treater may not work for the other. Also, heat treaters are somewhat reluctant to share their secret sauce with customers. General hardening is no problem. The challenge is when a company needs a very specific hardness. There is a fair amount of trial and error with the heat treater (at least at first) before they get it right.

by iaw 11y ago

amatus 11y ago

Sorry, I only know some XRF, I don't know metallurgy.

rsfern 11y ago

It seems there's been a bit of research into Aluminum Tungsten systems[1]. The alloy systems described in the abstract are strengthened by particle formation (also called precipitation hardening), which is the primary strengthening mechanism used in most Al alloys[2]. In general, alloy design is an extremely high dimensional problem. You have composition, the forming processes, and heat treatments which all can profoundly affect the properties of the finished product. It's only since the fifties or so that we've really started to understand the internal structures of metals and how they affect properties like strength, and there are many open questions yet. [1] http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11661-008-9593-3 http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11661-008-9593-3 [2] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precipitation_hardening https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precipitation_hardening

bigger_cheese 11y ago

I'm a materials engineer I graduated in 2010 back when I was at uni very little of the curriculum was dedicated to non-ferrous metallurgy. We probably spent as much time studying ferrous alloys as we did on Aluminium, Titanium, Copper and Nickel combined. That said I suspect the reason is likely patent related. Metallurgy is not a new field but Aluminium alloying is relatively new wasn't really until after WW2. Alot of industrial research tends to be locked away behind patents.

racecar789 11y ago

Heat treatment is a dark art. What works for one heat treater may not work for the other. Also, heat treaters are somewhat reluctant to share their secret sauce with customers. General hardening is no problem. The challenge is when a company needs a very specific hardness. There is a fair amount of trial and error with the heat treater (at least at first) before they get it right.