In discussing Titanium Doris writes:
<<
> > lists one of the properties of Titanium as being that it disolves in hot
water.>>
What I know about metallurgy wouldn't fill a thimble, but...I was
reading a bike magazine about the making of titanium frames, and there
was mention of how the cuts in the drop-outs are made with a machine
that cuts titanium with water under lots of pressure (which would mean
hot water).
>>
I doubt if ** hot ** water would make much difference but the
reason for the water knife is probably to prevent work hardening
of the frame through conventional machining. One of the
undesireable properties of Ti is it gets harder and (and hence brittle) when
machined. This makes it very difficult and costly to machine/work as the
tools wear fast and the metal has to be repeatedly annealed to remove
the work hardening. Interestingly Russia developed much better
machining techniques for Ti use in it's space program than
did the US. You can still still buy Russian made Ti Ice-Screws
at REI. Originally they were an unofficial export, produced
illegally in the aircraft/rocket factories.
It would be interesting to know how Olympus draws the
covers on The OM's as it probably requires many small steps
rather than the relatively easy deep drawing process used for brass.
High pressure water cutting is often used in the electronics industry for
cutting delicate components and producing printed circuit boards (keeps
temperature low and the fibre glass particles out of the air.)
Tim Hughes
Hi100@xxxxxxx
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