How does Angel Sword make the toughest, high-hardness swords in
the world?
It's a strong claim, and one that we back up with solid scientific data.
Here's how we do it...
Start with a tough steel
We use S7 for our Bright Knight swords, which has toughness characteristics
that exceed other steels commonly used for blades such as L6, O1,and 10-series
steels. (Note: Our Techno-Wootz Damascus steel is superior
to S7, but with patents pending no more details on steel specifics can
be provided at this time. None the less, testing on the finished product
has been completed and you can view the
report on our Web site.) Here's a comparison of the toughness of S7
compared with other steels:
(Figures
from Crucible Steel, except S7 with Therma-Cycle Treatment)
Understand the Science – Steel Hardness and Toughness
There are many ways to measure the hardness of a material. We use the
Rockwell method, a standard employed by many engineers around the world.
As the chart above indicates, S7 steel has a Rockwell Hardness of HRC57.
This is consistent with testing performed at the Angel Sword forge after
we have heat treated our swords.
The properties of any steel can be altered during the heat treat, for
better or worse, depending on the skill of the smith. This includes
the toughness of a steel. Toughness is measured by determining how much
energy the steel will absorb. Using a tightly controlled, high quality
heat treat, S7 will have a toughness – as measured by a Charpy
Impact Test – of 125 ft. lbs. Angel Sword, however, employs
a superior, patented
heat treating process that significantly improves toughness. Using
our patented Therma-Cycle
technology, our S7 has a toughness of more than 250 ft. lbs.
Review the Performance
We have put treated blades through destruction testing - you can see
the video on our Web site. The blades in these demos have a hardness
of RC57. We have also used our swords in a world-record tameshigiri cutting
demonstration, an example of the extreme performance we achieve with our
swords.
The benefit of this combination of high hardness and toughness is that
it allows us to refine the edge geometry of our swords. With only hardness,
a sword with an aggressive edge geometry will be sharp but it will also
be more prone to chipping under stress. With just the equivalent toughness,
such an aggressive edge will bend on impact. Only with both high hardness
and toughness can we create an edge that delivers the extreme performance
of an Angel Sword.
That's how Angel Sword makes the toughest, high-hardness swords in the
world!
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