Ancient and modern steels and laminated composites containing steels

A class of steels (ultrahigh-carbon steels, or UHCSs) containing high levels of carbon (i.e., similar to1-2 wt%) were originally developed for their superplastic characteristics. In combination with excellent room-temperature properties, the steels were developed for their commercial potential starting in the mid-1970s and continuing to the present time. The compositional similarities between these modern steels and ancient Damascus steels led to a revisiting of the history and metallurgy of Damascus and related steels. Also, as part of the development of UHCSs, modern laminated composites containing them have been designed and manufactured that have unique toughness characteristics. These laminated composites also have similarities to a range of laminated materials of historical interest. Finally, some comments are made on the utility of radiocarbon dating to determine the age of ancient irons and steels. Ten sidebars supplement this article as Web Extras on the MRS Bulletin Web site at www.mrs.org/publications/bulletin/ 2002/dec/.