Ajax-Tocco-Magnethermic, Warren, Ohio, presented “Materials Selection for Induction Hardening Processes” at Heat Treat 2013. Material selection plays an essential role in the performance of induction-hardened workpieces such as shafts, axles, pins, and gears. Any prior heat treatment and the ability to be induction hardened are some of the factors design engineers need to take into consideration.
Advenira Enterprises Inc., Sunnyvale, Calif., has received a patent that covers the company’s Hybrid 3D coater that allows its nanocomposite material to be applied to virtually any substrate shape or material, including polycarbonate, ceramic, quartz, and aluminum. SDN (Solution Derived Nanocomposites) refers to a process in which solid substances and/or nanoparticles dispersed or dissolved in a liquid, agglomerate together to form a continuous network extending throughout the liquid.
Researchers working at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, Md., developed a new microscopy technique that uses a process similar to how an old tube television produces a picture-cathodoluminescence-to image nanoscale features. Combining the best features of optical and scanning electron microscopy, the fast, versatile, and high-resolution technique allows scientists to view surface and subsurface features potentially as small as 10 nm in size.
An Introduction to Science Based on the Technology of the Slingshot Though many children create slingshots, they are much more than just a toy-they may also provide access to physics and mechanical engineering. Energy storage, efficiency, and dynamics can be made understandable based on slingshot technology.
Researchers at the University of Rostock, Germany, have developed a new way to produce high strength metallic alloys at a lower cost and with less energy. Led by Dr. Eberhard Burkel, Professor of Physics, researchers demonstrated that rapidly cooling a material directly after spark plasma sintering (SPS) fabrication can enhance hardness, strength, and ductility. The new rapid cooling SPS system is based on a commercially available design, modified to include a series of gas inlet nozzles.
