- #1
tehfrr
- 52
- 0
From a materials science perspective, what is the point to folded steel? How does the folding process affect the properties of the metal? The place I see this extensively is in Japanese swords, such as Katanas. They will say "hand folded X times" with X usually being anywhere from 150-750, with the upper end being vastly more expensive.
I’ve taken an upper division course in basic materials science, and I can't figure out what could be accomplished by folding the steel. Id think that most of the austenite to alpha iron and Fe3C type properties can be controlled by cooling rates - resulting in the martensite, spherodite, perlite, etc. What happens during the folding process on the micro scale that makes this desirable?
I’ve taken an upper division course in basic materials science, and I can't figure out what could be accomplished by folding the steel. Id think that most of the austenite to alpha iron and Fe3C type properties can be controlled by cooling rates - resulting in the martensite, spherodite, perlite, etc. What happens during the folding process on the micro scale that makes this desirable?