𞋴𝛂𝛋𝛆Sep 29, 2024

Can molten metals in space get shaped like glass on Earth?

https://lemmy.world/post/20320467

Can molten metals in space get shaped like glass on Earth? - Lemmy.World

What might prevent metal “blowing” and other forms of shaping from working if gravity was not a factor? Let’s handwave-ignore the extremes of temperature as it relates to techniques and the present primitive space habitats and craft. Is it possible to suspend a pool of molten metal, with a tube inside, spin while adding a gas to shape a container, and form more complex shapes through additional heat cycles in a repeatable process?

Show threadDeath_Equity

You can work glass and plastic the way you can because at a certain temperature range their plasticity and viscosity are conducive to working them in that manner.

Iron has plasticity at a temperature, but lacks the viscosity until it gets too hot to have the plasticity needed. If you had a molten blob of iron in space and tried to inflate it, the material would get a hole blown in the side instead of inflating and stretching out because the working properties aren’t right.

Sep 29, 2024 at 5:25pmWeb
Show threadsuperterranSep 29, 2024
What if the substance was only one part iron?
Show threadOrbituarySep 29, 2024
That would no longer be iron, then. It would be an alloy. Steel is the most common example of an iron alloy and it exhibits different properties based on the ratio of carbon and other elements.
Show threadCanadaPlusSep 29, 2024

Ditto goes for most alloys. Glass-like properties aren’t typical, otherwise metal blowing would be a thing.

There might be alloys that can do this, but not the usual ones. Some of the low-melting ones can be gooey-seeming, off the top of my head.

Show threadDeath_EquitySep 29, 2024
An alloy would have to have the working properties needed, but all “metals” have the same problem of viscosity and plasticity not overlapping.