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A Hypothesis for the Mechanism that Produces the Utsuri Pattern on Japanese Swords

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Abstract

High-quality Japanese swords display a pattern just below the spine called the utsuri pattern. The physical mechanism causing this pattern remains a mystery. An hypothesis is presented here postulating that the pattern is produced by a transition in the microstructure from pearlite to the product microstructure of the divorced eutectoid transformation, DET. Experiments are presented in which such a transition was produced on small blade pieces. It is demonstrated that the contrast on these blades is adequate to produce the utsuri patterns.

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Acknowledgements

The experimental work was done in the two metallurgy shops of the authors. Mr William Dauksch, ex vice president of Nucor Steel, provided the financial support for the chemical analysis done at Chicago Spectro Lab.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Zowada Custom Knives, Boyne Falls, MI, USA

    Tim Zowada

  2. Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA

    J. D. Verhoeven

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  1. Tim Zowada
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  2. J. D. Verhoeven
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Correspondence to J. D. Verhoeven.

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Zowada, T., Verhoeven, J.D. A Hypothesis for the Mechanism that Produces the Utsuri Pattern on Japanese Swords. Metallogr. Microstruct. Anal. 13, 62–67 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13632-023-01037-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13632-023-01037-y

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