skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Ultrahigh carbon steels, Damascus steels, and superplasticity

You are accessing a document from the Department of Energy's (DOE) OSTI.GOV. This site is a product of DOE's Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) and is provided as a public service.

Visit OSTI to utilize additional information resources in energy science and technology.

Abstract

The processing properties of ultrahigh carbon steels (UHCSs) have been studied at Stanford University over the past twenty years. These studies have shown that such steels (1 to 2.1% C) can be made superplastic at elevated temperature and can have remarkable mechanical properties at room temperature. It was the investigation of these UHCSs that eventually brought us to study the myths, magic, and metallurgy of ancient Damascus steels, which in fact, were also ultrahigh carbon steels. These steels were made in India as castings, known as wootz, possibly as far back as the time of Alexander the Great. The best swords are believed to have been forged in Persia from Indian wootz. This paper centers on recent work on superplastic UHCSs and on their relation to Damascus steels. 32 refs., 6 figs.

Authors:
 [1];  [2]
  1. Stanford Univ., CA (United States). Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering
  2. Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
OSTI Identifier:
555400
Report Number(s):
UCRL-JC-127180; CONF-9706160-1
ON: DE97053447
DOE Contract Number:  
W-7405-ENG-48
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Resource Relation:
Conference: 9. international metallurgical and materials congress, Istanbul (Turkey), 11-15 Jun 1997; Other Information: PBD: Apr 1997
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; CARBON STEELS; PLASTICITY; DUCTILITY; FRACTURE PROPERTIES; EXPERIMENTAL DATA

Citation Formats

Sherby, O D, and Wadsworth, J. Ultrahigh carbon steels, Damascus steels, and superplasticity. United States: N. p., 1997. Web. doi:10.2172/555400.
Sherby, O D, & Wadsworth, J. Ultrahigh carbon steels, Damascus steels, and superplasticity. United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/555400
Sherby, O D, and Wadsworth, J. 1997. "Ultrahigh carbon steels, Damascus steels, and superplasticity". United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/555400. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/555400.
@article{osti_555400,
title = {Ultrahigh carbon steels, Damascus steels, and superplasticity},
author = {Sherby, O D and Wadsworth, J},
abstractNote = {The processing properties of ultrahigh carbon steels (UHCSs) have been studied at Stanford University over the past twenty years. These studies have shown that such steels (1 to 2.1% C) can be made superplastic at elevated temperature and can have remarkable mechanical properties at room temperature. It was the investigation of these UHCSs that eventually brought us to study the myths, magic, and metallurgy of ancient Damascus steels, which in fact, were also ultrahigh carbon steels. These steels were made in India as castings, known as wootz, possibly as far back as the time of Alexander the Great. The best swords are believed to have been forged in Persia from Indian wootz. This paper centers on recent work on superplastic UHCSs and on their relation to Damascus steels. 32 refs., 6 figs.},
doi = {10.2172/555400},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/555400}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1997},
month = {Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1997}
}