Posted on Jul 27, 2015
Engineer's discovery could save Air Force millions
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From: NWF Daily News
EGLIN AFB — If you're a taxpayer, you might want to send Rachel
Abrahams a thank you note.
The young research engineer at the Air Force Research Lab Munitions Directorate recently developed a new alloy with all the mechanical properties of the material currently used for many munitions, but at half the price.
While Abrahams is modest and self-effacing — "I'm just an overpaid blacksmith," she said with a laugh — she can't help but take delight in the potential impact of her accomplishment.
"What's pretty neat about it is that normally it takes about 10 years to develop a new material like this," she said. "With this one, in five months we went from a prototype the size of a coffee can to a scaled up version at around 250,000 pounds."
Abrahams, who has been working at the AFRL for four years, was recognized with the prestigious Director's Cup Award for creating the alloy, which is expected to save the Air Force millions of dollars in future costs.
Abrahams was originally tasked with finding a way to save 5 to 10 percent on the cost of materials for the many munitions developed at the lab. At the same time, the new alloy would have to be as strong and as tough as the existing product, known as Eglin steel.
"I started off by asking myself, what makes Eglin steel so expensive?" Abrahams explained. "I realized that it was the tungsten that is used in it. So I asked myself, how can I do it without the tungsten?"
As she worked on the problem, many people told Abrahams she was crazy — she could never replace tungsten and still maintain the critical properties required for the final products. But the Southern California native refused to give up.
Ultimately, Abrahams came up with a new formula that met all of the requirements at a much lower price.
"What's really great is that without the tungsten, we can produce the new alloy without having to import any components," she added. "That's important, because tungsten is a conflict mineral, meaning it comes from places in the world that can be volatile."
A self-described workaholic, Abrahams shares her love of science with seven students she mentors — some are interns at the AFRL and others are graduate students she advises.
"I love the work that I do here," she said. "I'm excited that in addition to munitions, this material has the potential to be used in armor for both personnel and vehicles.
“It could literally save lives. Here at Eglin, that's what our work is all about."
http://www.nwfdailynews.com/article/20150724/NEWS/150729692
EGLIN AFB — If you're a taxpayer, you might want to send Rachel
Abrahams a thank you note.
The young research engineer at the Air Force Research Lab Munitions Directorate recently developed a new alloy with all the mechanical properties of the material currently used for many munitions, but at half the price.
While Abrahams is modest and self-effacing — "I'm just an overpaid blacksmith," she said with a laugh — she can't help but take delight in the potential impact of her accomplishment.
"What's pretty neat about it is that normally it takes about 10 years to develop a new material like this," she said. "With this one, in five months we went from a prototype the size of a coffee can to a scaled up version at around 250,000 pounds."
Abrahams, who has been working at the AFRL for four years, was recognized with the prestigious Director's Cup Award for creating the alloy, which is expected to save the Air Force millions of dollars in future costs.
Abrahams was originally tasked with finding a way to save 5 to 10 percent on the cost of materials for the many munitions developed at the lab. At the same time, the new alloy would have to be as strong and as tough as the existing product, known as Eglin steel.
"I started off by asking myself, what makes Eglin steel so expensive?" Abrahams explained. "I realized that it was the tungsten that is used in it. So I asked myself, how can I do it without the tungsten?"
As she worked on the problem, many people told Abrahams she was crazy — she could never replace tungsten and still maintain the critical properties required for the final products. But the Southern California native refused to give up.
Ultimately, Abrahams came up with a new formula that met all of the requirements at a much lower price.
"What's really great is that without the tungsten, we can produce the new alloy without having to import any components," she added. "That's important, because tungsten is a conflict mineral, meaning it comes from places in the world that can be volatile."
A self-described workaholic, Abrahams shares her love of science with seven students she mentors — some are interns at the AFRL and others are graduate students she advises.
"I love the work that I do here," she said. "I'm excited that in addition to munitions, this material has the potential to be used in armor for both personnel and vehicles.
“It could literally save lives. Here at Eglin, that's what our work is all about."
http://www.nwfdailynews.com/article/20150724/NEWS/150729692
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