Duralloy Details

[Sifu Blackirish]

IMTU I have the inevitable duralloy substance, made by combining steel with that ever difficult to find trace element, unobtanium. Sorry, I haven't thought up a cute word yet.

I am writing a backstory that gives details on the human presence on a world that is primarily Ainuu (Vargr) and for plot purposes, it would help if the trace element is magnetic. I started coming up with all sorts of things happening on this world, but that needs a very strong magnetic field for it to make sense.

Any ideas out there?

 

[BlackBat242]

Mix in a little handwavium, and you've got everything you need.


Seriously... you've already made your plot depend on something that doesn't exist in real-world physics, just declare it has the properties you want it to have and go from there!

 

[aramis]

If you really must have something plausible, you might have a stable isotope above the transuranics in the same column as iron... It should have the same general properties, but be much more massive.

Say Atomic numbers 142 or 174... but those would require a Population III or IV star.

 

[far-trader]

Perhaps something with the super magnetic properties you seek (maybe Wil's transuranic idea) would exist at super cooled temps? Would a frozen nitrogen seas or some such world work? Just off the cuff speculating here...

 

[DFW]

Maybe gadolinium. It is a metallic element of the lanthanide series (lanthanum) which resembles steel in appearance and is strongly magnetic below room temperature. Symbol Gd, atomic number 64.

 

[ratheden]

will you be using the duralloy to build with? What values are you using for it? Toughness/density etc.
i ask because i find your idea very novel and would like to include it IMTU.

 

[DFW]

Here's my response to an earlier thread about "Duralloy"

Maybe gadolinium. It is a metallic element of the lanthanide series (lanthanum) which resembles steel in appearance and is strongly magnetic below room temperature. Symbol Gd, atomic number 64.

 

[BlackBat242]

No, that was your response earlier in THIS thread. :rofl:

See the second post above that one.

 

[DFW]

No, that was your response earlier in THIS thread. :rofl:

See the second post above that one.

Wow, that's weird. It showed as a new post with no replies.

 

[Sifu Blackirish]

will you be using the duralloy to build with? What values are you using for it? Toughness/density etc.
i ask because i find your idea very novel and would like to include it IMTU.

I don't have any of my reference materials with me, but it would be bonded superdense characteristics.

 

[mike wightman]

I wouldn't make it the equivalent to bonded-superdense armour.

What happens when your new super alloy undergoes the bonded-superdense process?

 

[Spinward Scout]

IMTU I have the inevitable duralloy substance, made by combining steel with that ever difficult to find trace element, unobtanium. Sorry, I haven't thought up a cute word yet.

It's alright. Whole movies have been made without coming up with a better word than that.

I always thought that Singularum would be a cool name for an element. Especially one that could only be made by the gravity of a black hole. Of course, you can always use Neutronium.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutronium

 

[Sifu Blackirish]

I wouldn't make it the equivalent to bonded-superdense armour.

What happens when your new super alloy undergoes the bonded-superdense process?

Well, the iron one has undergone a type of bonded superdense process already, as a side effect of something else happening.

Can't give away details because I haven't finished the backstory yet. It may have potential as an adventure.

 

[Sifu Blackirish]

...more details coming in...

My story containing duralloy plot twists has percolated to the top of the rewrite pile again. I was wondering how to implement duralloy details into TRAVELLER without completely unbalancing things. So, I came up with this:

"Duralloy is one of the trademark names given to material displaying a great degree of tensile strength, superior resistance to physical penetration by kinetic energy agents, a degree of reflection or dispersion to energy weapon fire."

Sorry, but only the bare essentials here.

For armor, duralloy gets an additional 'quality/cost multiplier.' 1 unit of armor (at any tech level) only takes up space as if it were factor-1.
but acts as a factor [quality level] of armor in combat.

A duralloy option must be taken at initial build, cost is hull x cost mult.
Only military have permission for extra duralloy armor layers. (a civilian ship with multiple layers is asking for trouble)


For the reflectivity I was thinking -1 to -3 for energy weapons, not so much a miss as the energy was reflected or scattered before doing damage.

Structural intensity is also increased.
Weapons of factor A+ no longer get automatic critical hits.
Up to quality level of critical hits for hull, cargo hold, stateroom are ignored. Duralloy is tough but not 'bulletproof', so be careful!

 

[Dragoner]

For duralloy type substances, I have always used core-iron: iron from the core of planets, formed into a super dense state.

It satisfies the magnetic characteristic as well.

 

[robject]

If you really must have something plausible, you might have a stable isotope above the transuranics in the same column as iron... It should have the same general properties, but be much more massive.

Say Atomic numbers 142 or 174... but those would require a Population III or IV star.

Can the planet have been generated in a PIII or PIV system, but been hurled out of the system early, say by a gas giant, and then captured by another system?

 

[Enoki]

Other than the PFM process of making it you might consider that some form of isostatic pressing is used to densify the material.

Today this is done with some metals and ceramics. They can formed under extreme pressures and temperatures to have densities as much as 1.4 times higher than found in nature. Another strengthening process used today is to powder the metal into a micro-fine dust. The tiny and uniform particle size makes for more even distribution of alloying agents along with limiting crystal growth size giving more uniform strength to the final product.
This has become common enough that it is being done to a degree in the auto industry on a large scale to make more wear resistant products.

I could see in a Traveller setting a company using extreme pressures and temperatures, maniuplated gravity, micro-structures and, new tightly controlled alloying agents to make a far tougher and stronger steel. I could also see them making ceramets (ceramic metals) in the same way.

 

[aramis]

Can the planet have been generated in a PIII or PIV system, but been hurled out of the system early, say by a gas giant, and then captured by another system?

Sorry, I typoed, due to a misremeber of the Population numbering.. It should be Pop I and Pop IV stars... Pop IV stars are not yet shown to exist...

Pop III are the oldest: practically no metalicity. That is to say, they started with no metals, and have made some. When they nova, they eject metals.

Pop II stars have some metals; they had some in the Pop III star's ejecta from which they formed. When they nova, they eject a much higher range of metals.

Pop I stars are formed from the ejecta of Pop II stars... much higher metallicities, and most are still in their prime. A few have expired, and we don't know for certain of any stars formed from their ejecta, which is even MORE metal rich.

The next population discovered might be called Pop IV or Pop 0, depending on who votes at the IAU meeting, and who finds enough data to describe a younger still, very high metal star.

But, since outside the galactic cores, it's unlikely to have a sufficient amount of metal to be able to smash those heavy, short half-life, mid-80's atomic number radioactives, any such materials in quantity should be in stars born of the violent explosions of the more massive and faster burning, but still sub-critical-mass stars (7-9 solar masses or so), in regions which have very old Pop I stars. The more metallic of the Pop I stars MIGHT generate small traces of the high transuranic stables.

More likely, tho', is it's either artificial or extradimensional in origin.

Anywhere likely to have generated such a planet is likely also in a place where the stellar glow is about hazy afternoon level of light on Earth...

 

[shadowcat20]

Not much of an expert on hard science but maybe your element was subjected to a very strong magnetic field. This could align the molicules in a way that bonded them better. It would also explain the magnetic field the element would give off. Something like bonded superdense magnatized very strongly. A tough element with a strong mag sig. As a side effect it might screw with anti grav a bit.

 

[Sifu Blackirish]

snip...I could see in a Traveller setting a company using extreme pressures and temperatures, manipulated gravity, micro-structures and, new tightly controlled alloying agents to make a far tougher and stronger steel. I could also see them making ceramets (ceramic metals) in the same way.

Funny thing, in my last rewrite of the story, one scientist discusses a technique very similar to what you described as being used for the new generation of starships being built. Just proves that great minds think alike!

Not much of an expert on hard science but maybe your element was subjected to a very strong magnetic field. This could align the molecules in a way that bonded them better. It would also explain the magnetic field the element would give off. Something like bonded superdense magnetized very strongly. A tough element with a strong mag sig. As a side effect it might screw with anti grav a bit.

Are you posters reading my mind? Put yourself down for a gold star!

That is more or less what happened, but the source is still a mystery.
Not to me, of course, but if I told you, it would spoil the surprise, wouldn't it?