Hardness of single crystal alloys?

[Barwick]

Does anyone have any info, or could point me to some info (Google didn't help) about finding/making extremely hard metals using single crystal alloys?

I'm not necessarily looking for something that's extremely temperature resistant, what I need is something that's very hard (it's for a blade, and keeping an edge is critical), but isn't very brittle. Ideally it wouldn't flex all too much either.

I'm no expert on this, but I know that those properties are often mutually exclusive, but if there's something that can be found, all the more better. Right now the current metal in use for this application is K390 steel.

 

[arunmrao]

Just intrigued me about growing single crystal for an alloy. I know about cast super alloys as single crystals for turbine applications,but now for a blade with a sharp edge. I don't have a clue. so please help me oo!

" All that is necessary for triumph of evil is that good men do nothing".
Edmund Burke

 

[EdStainless]

Many alloys can be made SC by using a zone melting method.
Not much work on very hard alloys, this is what ceramics are used for.

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or edstainless@earthlink.net

 

[Barwick]

The edge can be machined (sharpened), so that's not a problem. Right now I believe the company cuts the blades out of billet K390, and machines down the edges flat to make the 90-degree edge.