Question about a sci-fi term

Shinova · Post by **Shinova** » 2003-04-27 08:39pm

What impression does the term, "Nanoslate alloy" give you?

mauldooku · Post by **mauldooku** » 2003-04-27 08:41pm

An alloy of a piece of slate made by nanites, I guess....

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-04-27 08:42pm

Shinova wrote:What impression does the term, "Nanoslate alloy" give you?

Could mean anything. A slate is a sort of sheet-like shape, isn't it? Bainite steel has a microstructure which resembles tiny flakes, or sheets.

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2003-04-27 09:00pm

Galvanized steel. I know thats not what it would be, but thats what comes to mind for some reason.

Shinova · Post by **Shinova** » 2003-04-27 09:24pm

Hmmm....

Cause I was trying to come up with a term for a metal that would be used in a sword-like weapon with very good cutting power and durability, but keep it at least a little realistic, at least terminology-wise.

Cyborg Stan · Post by **Cyborg Stan** » 2003-04-27 09:26pm

How about 'Steel' then?

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-04-27 09:36pm

Shinova wrote:Hmmm....

Cause I was trying to come up with a term for a metal that would be used in a sword-like weapon with very good cutting power and durability, but keep it at least a little realistic, at least terminology-wise.

Realistically, people won't be using metal swords in sci-fi.

Queeb Salaron · Post by **Queeb Salaron** » 2003-04-27 09:49pm

Darth Wong wrote:Realistically, people won't be using metal swords in sci-fi.

Once again, Wong points out the obvious mistake that none of us have the mind capacity to recognize.

ALL HAIL DA WONG!

Shinova · Post by **Shinova** » 2003-04-27 09:52pm

Darth Wong wrote:Realistically, people won't be using metal swords in sci-fi.

As a main weapon, of course not. As a back-up sidearm like thing, maybe.

Or when you want to cut something without accidentally burning something or having it show on sensors or something.

Anyway, the point of this question was on the term, not how it would be used in a sci-fi universe.

neoolong · Post by **neoolong** » 2003-04-27 10:00pm

Darth Wong wrote:
Shinova wrote:Hmmm....

Cause I was trying to come up with a term for a metal that would be used in a sword-like weapon with very good cutting power and durability, but keep it at least a little realistic, at least terminology-wise.
Realistically, people won't be using metal swords in sci-fi.

Could be used for a knife then or something.

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2003-04-27 10:30pm

Queeb Salaron wrote:
Darth Wong wrote:Realistically, people won't be using metal swords in sci-fi.
Once again, Wong points out the obvious mistake that none of us have the mind capacity to recognize.

ALL HAIL DA WONG!

I like Mike as much as the next guy, but quit being a jingoistic retard.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2003-04-28 05:20am

Sounds like one of the MIT researched nano ceramic powders used in modern ceramics, blades of the future would be, as Mike pointed out, rarely metal but probably ceramic like zirconium which is used by leading chefs for their knives.

Ceramics and mono-crystal materials would give sharp blades that are strong like modern gas turbine blades (mono-crystal or directionally solidified metals like Inconel and other superalloys) and can withstand immense amounts of heat, but run the risk of shattering unless they were coated in something to help the resilience against impact shock, perhaps a buckytube bound sheath could be wrapped partially around the blade to at least hold it together if something went awry.

Of course, nano slate could still mean a number of things as buckminster fullerenes are also used in everything from modern packaging to production of biomedical tests etc.

Eleas · Post by **Eleas** » 2003-04-28 08:17am

Howedar wrote:
Queeb Salaron wrote:
Darth Wong wrote:Realistically, people won't be using metal swords in sci-fi.
Once again, Wong points out the obvious mistake that none of us have the mind capacity to recognize.

ALL HAIL DA WONG!
I like Mike as much as the next guy, but quit being a jingoistic retard.

He's not being jingoistic in this case, he's just being a sycophant.

Anyway, a friend of mine works in sheet glass production. He recently told me of a form of glass whose microstructure was threaded in one direction. At right angles to the threads, you could do a hell of a lot to a solid cube of this glass without anything happening - you could stand on it and jump up and down, and nothing would happen. But tap it sharply in the direction of the threads... and it virtually explodes.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2003-04-28 08:35am

Eleas wrote:
Howedar wrote:
Queeb Salaron wrote: Once again, Wong points out the obvious mistake that none of us have the mind capacity to recognize.

ALL HAIL DA WONG!
I like Mike as much as the next guy, but quit being a jingoistic retard.
He's not being jingoistic in this case, he's just being a sycophant.

Anyway, a friend of mine works in sheet glass production. He recently told me of a form of glass whose microstructure was threaded in one direction. At right angles to the threads, you could do a hell of a lot to a solid cube of this glass without anything happening - you could stand on it and jump up and down, and nothing would happen. But tap it sharply in the direction of the threads... and it virtually explodes.

Sounds a bit like certain metals as well as wood. Wood is very hard to compress going against the grain, but apply force perpendicular and the thing is much easier to break.

Eleas · Post by **Eleas** » 2003-04-28 08:37am

Admiral Valdemar wrote: Sounds a bit like certain metals as well as wood. Wood is very hard to compress going against the grain, but apply force perpendicular and the thing is much easier to break.

I guess. It was evidently a bit more dramatic in this case. You didn't need very much force, either. Just a sharp rap sufficed.

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2003-04-28 10:08am

Eleas wrote:
Admiral Valdemar wrote: Sounds a bit like certain metals as well as wood. Wood is very hard to compress going against the grain, but apply force perpendicular and the thing is much easier to break.
I guess. It was evidently a bit more dramatic in this case. You didn't need very much force, either. Just a sharp rap sufficed.

Interesting, they could probably use that as some sort of safety material, maybe in those fire alarms that need to smash the glass, this could prevent the glass from being broken when people accidentally brush it or knock against it.

Eleas · Post by **Eleas** » 2003-04-28 10:51am

Admiral Valdemar wrote:
Eleas wrote:I guess. It was evidently a bit more dramatic in this case. You didn't need very much force, either. Just a sharp rap sufficed.
Interesting, they could probably use that as some sort of safety material, maybe in those fire alarms that need to smash the glass, this could prevent the glass from being broken when people accidentally brush it or knock against it.

Probably. Also, the grain would also allow very sharp edges, which was one of the properties Shinova asked for.

kojikun · Post by **kojikun** » 2003-04-29 01:39am

Just dont stab anyone or the glass-sword will blow apart.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-04-29 01:43am

Admiral Valdemar wrote:Sounds like one of the MIT researched nano ceramic powders used in modern ceramics, blades of the future would be, as Mike pointed out, rarely metal but probably ceramic like zirconium which is used by leading chefs for their knives.

Those are transformation-toughened. They use a metastable high-density phase which spontaneously reverts to a lower-density phase upon energy input, this applying pressure to retard crack propagation. Useful to cut down on cyclic loading-related failures, but violent impacts will crack them all the same.

Personally, if you're going to give a sci-fi guy a bladed weapon, it should be something like a K-bar. A full-fledged sword is going to carry such a large penalty in terms of unwieldiness that it will certainly not be worth it, particularly since its only purpose is to serve as a desperation backup for your firearm.

SirNitram · Post by **SirNitram** » 2003-04-29 01:47am

Random thought.. Mike, you mentioned that an electromagnetic field somehow shaped into a cutting edge and given a negative charge could cut anything. Maybe a sword wrapped in such when active?

I dunno, I like swords...

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-04-29 01:59am

SirNitram wrote:Random thought.. Mike, you mentioned that an electromagnetic field somehow shaped into a cutting edge and given a negative charge could cut anything.

Sure, provided it's blade-shaped and it's being projected from a device of sufficient strength not to fail from the reaction forces. Its only weakness is that no such beast exists

Maybe a sword wrapped in such when active?

A sword is already wrapped in a short-range negatively charged electromagnetic field (the electrons trapped around its atoms). The problem is that reaction forces from the interaction between the sword and the target deform the microstructure of the steel, hence blunting the edge or possibly breaking the whole blade.

I dunno, I like swords...

Hey, I watched Highlander too! But come on, this big dangling blade hanging off your belt is just going to be an impediment for a modern or futuristic soldier. Even if you could make one that really could cut through anything, you'd need Jedi clairvoyance and fighting skills in order to have a chance in hell of surviving against an opponent with a gun.

GrandMasterTerwynn · Post by **GrandMasterTerwynn** » 2003-04-29 02:02am

SirNitram wrote:Random thought.. Mike, you mentioned that an electromagnetic field somehow shaped into a cutting edge and given a negative charge could cut anything. Maybe a sword wrapped in such when active?

I dunno, I like swords...

A sword would have it's uses. Mostly as either a purely decorative/ceremonial piece (such as the blades carried by modern U.S. Marines. Very nice looking, but brittle as glass.) Though one could see swords used to resolve issues of honor. One could see them used in a sci-fi world to settle duels. Though as a combat weapon, they're mostly useless unless somehow you can expand that EM field of yours and use it disperse blaster bolts or something.

SirNitram · Post by **SirNitram** » 2003-04-29 02:04am

Darth Wong wrote:
I dunno, I like swords...
Hey, I watched Highlander too! But come on, this big dangling blade hanging off your belt is just going to be an impediment for a modern or futuristic soldier. Even if you could make one that really could cut through anything, you'd need Jedi clairvoyance and fighting skills in order to have a chance in hell of surviving against an opponent with a gun.

Ultimately very true, hence why the only swordsman I write for in sci-fi is, very basically, already a gunman(Though he favors old sixshooters to modern automatic pistols), and also insanely fast. I really don't get what mystifies us all with swords so much, but we just seem to like them..

Arthur_Tuxedo · Post by **Arthur_Tuxedo** » 2003-04-29 03:57am

SirNitram wrote:Ultimately very true, hence why the only swordsman I write for in sci-fi is, very basically, already a gunman(Though he favors old sixshooters to modern automatic pistols), and also insanely fast. I really don't get what mystifies us all with swords so much, but we just seem to like them..

Sword-chucks!

Eleas · Post by **Eleas** » 2003-04-29 06:08am

kojikun wrote:Just dont stab anyone or the glass-sword will blow apart.

Yep. Inside the victim. Pyrrhic victory, isn't it?

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