Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeG
Further, I have never heard of a polymer that has a Rockwell hardness anywhere near that of glass and similar ceramics. (I've seen a pane of window glass scratched by a shard of BBBMAX. Please tell me whether you've ever seen any type of polymer scratch glass!) I highly doubt that Bioval has invented some kind of super-material here that externally behaves entirely like glass yet is cheap enough to package and sell to people as bbs.
Since you seem to know a good deal about materials science (at least more than I do, I've taken only an introductory course on the subject), perhaps you could help me devise a few physical tests to determine the makeup of these BBs.
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Without the proper lab equipment it's next to impossible though. BioVAL's MSDS sheet says the thing is very thermostable, completely inert, etc - so you can rule out trying to find out the component of the BB by playing around with chemicals. Since you have to start "blank", the only logical way I can think of to start determining what this thing is is to put it through and electron microscope and pray for the best - not something your ordinary joe would have access to without paying good money.
And while I did study material science much more in detail than the introductory level, my engineering major isn't materials engineering :-|.
I would suspect however that the hardening agent is silica flour and the resin is some form of high-temperature biodegradable resin that bonds well to silicon. Purely because silica flour/silicon dioxide, in it's natural form, is Quartz. You know, those clear-looking crystal that is tough as nuts?
And silica-dioxide is - surprise, surprise, a component of glass. And has a high MP overall. And is completely inert to chemicals. And when broken apart, forms essentially sand and dirt.