REMOTE ANNEALING OF HIGH CARBON STEEL PARTS

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Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP96-00789R003000020009-8
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RIFPUB
Original Classification: 
U
Document Page Count: 
13
Document Creation Date: 
November 4, 2016
Document Release Date: 
October 21, 1998
Sequence Number: 
9
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
November 1, 1982
Content Type: 
RS
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Approved For Release 2001/03/07 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003000020009-8 eizezae T ateziae Qeizetied Ond titate REMOTE ANNEALING OF HIGH CARBON STEEL PARTS Severin Dahlen, President Approved For Release 2001/03/07 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003000020009-8 Approved For Release 2001/03/07 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003000020009-8 The investigation of a phenomenon known as "warm-forming" was initiated in January of 1981 and continues to the present. The mechanism used to explore this phenomenon is a series of psychokinesis or PK parties. A PK party con- sists of approximately 25 persons of varied backgrounds gathered for the purpose of bending metal objects.(stainless steel silverware, rods, bar stock, etc.) which are not otherwise easily deformed. The party lasts between one and two hours during which time each of the attendees is instructed to command a metal object to bend while being lightly held between the thumb and index finger. The effect which most people experience at these parties is that the metal becomes warm and soft for a short period of time. During this short interval the metal object is easily deformed using little manual force. A more detailed description of the PK party, its format and the materials required is pro- vided in Reference 1. It has been speculated in Reference 2 that the momentary warming and softening of the metal is caused by the participant's ability to transmit information into the metal. Somehow energy from within the metal may cause intense local heating along the grain boundaries and subsequent slippage when minimal or moderate force is applied. Repeated successes(between 85 and 90% of participants experience the "warm-forming" phenomenon) in over 30 PK parties together with the explanation postulated and described in detail in Reference 2 has given rise to the question: Is it possible for a state-change or an annealing-like process to occur in hardened metals simply by exposing them to the environment of a PK party? The experiment documented in this report was conceived to explore the possibility that hardened metals, repeatedly exposed to the PK party environ- ment, could undergo a change in physical properties. The participants at the PK parties were not aware of the experiment. The experiment was conducted from September 15, 1982 to November 19, 1982 and consisted of a series of surface hardness measurements of high carbon steel samples before and after exposure to the PK party environment. These measurements were then compared with similar 1 Approved For Release 2001/03/07 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003000020009-8 Approved For Release 2001/03/07 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003000020009-8 results taken periodically from a control sample that was purposely isolated from these party activities. The experiment clearly demonstrated a significant reduction in the exposed group's tensile strength properties. This reduction in tensile strength, verified from repeated surface hardness measurements, is believed to be the result of PK Party exposure and the process is called "Remote Annealing Radiation" or RAR. Four high carbon steel hacksaw blades were purchased from a local hardware store and removed from their protective covers. The blades were marked and divided into two evaluation groups. One blade was chosen as the control sample and was isolated (two mile separation) from the subsequent series of PK parties. The other three blades were chosen for repeated (four) exposures at these parties and were periodically tested using professional testing equipment and procedures. A simple test set-up was used to ensure repeatability of the pre- cision hardness measurements and similarly the samples were maintained at room temperature during exposure, storage, test, and transportation. The control sample was tested periodically during the course of the experiment. All three blades in the second group were tested on both sides of their flat surfaces to obtain an average hardness number after each RAR exposure. Figure 1 shows the location of the test points designated 1 through 6. All these test points are located in the middle (between the top of the blade and the cutting teeth) of the blade to avoid variations in hardness which normally occur near the edges of a hacksaw blade. OPPOSITE SIDE HARDNESS CHECK POINTS Figure 1. Hardness Test Point Areas Approved For Release 2001/03/07 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003000020009-8 Approved For Release 2001/03/07 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003000020009-8 Table 1 lists the dates of all the events in this experiment. Note that the exposed group was tested twice following the third exposure. Before hardness testing began, both surfaces of each blade were inspected for possible discoloration or other surface imperfections which might alter or influence the subsequent surface hardness measurements. This was accomplished using a stereo microscope set at a magnification of twenty (20X). All four blades appeared to have uniform surface conditions. A Rockwell Superficial Scale 15N (15 kg. load, diamond cone indenter) was used for the hardness measurements. Before each test, the apparatus was checked with a certified 15N-scale hardness test block to ensure precision performance. Also the same 2-inch diameter anvil was used to support each test specimen. Frequent calibration of the test equipment was made to ensure precision hardness measurements. Each test of a sample consisted of six measurements, three per side at the three locations indicated in Figure 1. At the end of each test, the data were marked to indicate the testing rate, operating mode, location number, date, time, and final cumulative mean indicated on the 15N dial. All test results are summarized in Table 2. The measurements taken at the beginning of the experiment indicated that the blades had nearly the same initial hardness. Periodic testing of the control sample over a two month interval revealed that the variability in the hardness measurement never exceeded + 2 units on the Rockwell scale. Examination of the test measure- ments associated with the exposed group indicates a persisted reduction in hardness level accompanied by a fluctuation in test to test readings similar to that recorded for the control sample. 3 Approved For Release 2001/03/07 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003000020009-8 Approved For Release 2001/03/07 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003000020009-8 Table 1 EVENT SUMMARY Event Sep 13, 1982 Purchased hacksaw blades Sep 15, 1982 Test hardness of all blades Sep 16, 1982 1st exposure, 2nd group PK party noa 30 Oct 5, 1982 Test hardness of 2nd group Oct 6, 1982 2nd expsoure, 2nd group PK party no. 31 Oct 11, 1982 Test hardness of control blade Oct 28, 1982 Test hardness of 2nd group Nov 1, 1982 3rd exposure, 2nd group PK party noa 34 Nov 2, 1982 Test hardness of 2nd group Nov 9, 1982 Test hardness of control blade Nov 10, 1982 Test hardness of 2nd group Nov 10, 1982 4th exposure, 2nd group PK party no. 35 Nov 18, 1982 Test hardness of control blade Nov 19, 1982 Test hardness of 2nd group Group No. 1 - Nonexposed (one blade) group Group No, 2 - Exposed (three blades) group 4 Approved For Release 2001/03/07 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003000020009-8 Approved For Release 2001/03/07 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003000020009-8 Table 2A: Control Sample "C" (Nonexposed) HARDNESS DATA USING ROCKWELL SUPERFICIAL 15N SCALE Test Date Control Sample Average of 6 Readings Conversion to Tensile Strength in psi(3) 9-15-82 82 75 77 167,000 82 79.5 79 79 79 79 5 167 000 . , 79 79.5 79 11-09-82 79 79 80 -79.1 ---~= 167,000 79.5 78 79 11-18-82 82 78 79 167,000 78 79 78.5 Hardness numbers are displayed according to the following pattern corresponding to the test points shown in Figure 1: 1 2 3 4 5 6 (3) Reference Approved For Release 2001/03/07 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003000020009-8 Approved For Release 2001/03/07 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003000020009-8 Table 2B: Test Sample No. 1 (0) Exposed HARDNESS DATA USING ROCKWELL SUPERFICIAL 15N SCALE Test Sample Average Value Conversion to Test Date No.1 of 6 Readings Tensile Strength in psi (3) 9-15-82 75 78 75 Before 76 77 75 Exposure 10-05-82 74 76 75 72 73 74 10-28-82 73.5 75 71 73.5 73 72 11-02-82 72 73.5 72 70 73 69 11-10-82 73 73 72 68 69 72 11-19-82 72 72 71 67 69 65 76.0 =--- . 142,000 130,000 73.0 ----a- 124,000 71.5 --- - 119,000 115,500 69.3 ---~ 106,000 Hardness numbers are displayed according to the following pattern corresponding to the test points shown in Figure 1: 1 2 3 4 5 6 (3) Reference Approved For Release 2001/03/07 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003000020009-8 Approved For Release 2001/03/07 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003000020009-8 Table 2C: Test Sample No. 2(A) Exposed HARDNESS DATA USING ROCKWELL SUPERFICIAL 15N SCALE Test Sample Average Value Conversion to Test Date No. 2 of 6 Readings Tensile Strength in psi(3) 9-15-82 76 75 77 Before 76.0 --- 142,000 Exposure 75 76 77 10-05-82 74 75 73 74.0 --~.. 130,000 73 74 75 10-28-82 70 74 73 71 73 72 11-02-82 71 75 70 72 70 70 11-10-82 71 73 71 70.1 111,000 66 71 69 11-19-82 72 71 72 69.6 107,000 64 70 69 Hardness numbers-are displayed according to the following pattern corresponding to the test points shown in Figure 1: 1 2 3 4 5 6 (3) Reference 7 Approved For Release 2001/03/07 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003000020009-8 Approved For Release 2001/03/07 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003000020009-8 Table 2D: Test Sample No. 3 (0) Exposed HARDNESS DATA USING ROCKWELL SUPERFICIAL 15N SCALE Test Sample Average Value Conversion to Test Date No. 3 of 6 Readings Tensile Strength in psi (3) 9-15-82 79.5 79 80 Before 166,000 Exposure 79 78 78 10-05-82 78.5 78 76 76.2 -~ 148,000 76 77 72 10-28-82 77 75 77 73.6 --~ 127,000 70 71 72 11-02-82 71.5 76 72 71.6 118,000 68 71.5 71 11-10-82 77 72 75 71.1 ----~ 115,000 67.5 67.5 68 11-19-82 73 72 71 70.5 112,000 67 70 70 Hardness numbers are displayed according to the following pattern corresponding to the test points shown in Figure 1: 1 2 3 4 5 6 (3) Reference Approved For Release 2001/03/07 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003000020009-8 Approved For Release 2001/03/07 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003000020009-8 In Figure 2 the test data are averaged to eliminate the test-to-test variations and the Rockwell scale readings converted to tensile strength expressed in pounds per square inch (Reference 3). The average of measurements taken on the control sample and each of the test samples is displayed over the duration of the experiment. The event summary presented in Table 1 is superposed on Figure 2 to provide a reference for the measurements. Subsequent to the first RAR exposure, large strength reduction of 18,000 psi occurred in Sample 3. The average reduction in tensile strength following each RAR varied between 10,000 and 18,000 psi. Over the duration of the experiment (four RAR exposures) the tensile strength of Sample 3 was recuced by 50,000 psi while the other two samples experienced a 35,000 psi reduction. Annealing definitely occurred in the three hacksaw blades that were exposed to RAR during four PK parties. The hardness of the high carbon steel blades was reduced, as demonstrated by a reduction in tensile strength, between 35,000 and 50,000 psi for each of the exposed blades. The control blade did not vary from its original hardness level during the same time period of this experiment. The final hardness level of the exposed blades was nearly down to the top of the hardness range for annealed steel. This range is also shown on Figure 2. If the results of this experiment were to be duplicated using conventional methods, the hacksaw blades would have to be placed in an annealing furnace for approximately one hour at a temperature between 1450 and 1525 deg. F. Then they would be slowly cooled down to 1200 deg. F (50 deg./hr.). After reaching 1200 deg. F, then the blades could be cooled in air down to room temperature. This annealing procedure typically requires eight to ten hours (Reference 4). Much experimentation remains because there are many unknown factors in how RAR works. Many complex human parameters, such as mental attitudes, 9 Approved For Release 2001/03/07 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003000020009-8 Approved For Release 2001/03/07 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003000020009-8 0103S - NSL IelallaadnS IIaMM3o}j rAn 0 00 co N r-. rNN N 0 z 0 250 W W --004/-LU I 1 I O Of 1S31 r'- 3anSOdX3 -H1anOd (NV iS31 31dWVS-31S31 ?D - 1531 N 3anSOdX3 dalHi I ' 3anSOdX3 1Sa13 3anSOdX338O339 1S31 co O rl~ (ISd) HDNI 'DS aid S131 OOOL X H1DN3a.S 311SN31 U,- Approved For Release 2001/03/07 : d?A-RDP96-00789R003000020009-8 Approved For Release 2001/03/07 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003000020009-8 desires, personalities, and level of emotional intensity, are involved in this type of experimentation. However, it is becoming clear that the human mind can have a dramatic effect on material things as demonstrated in this experi- ment. This experiment is easily replicated by anyone with access to hardness testing equipment and PK parties. Any data obtained from similar experimenta- tion would be greatly appreciated. 11 Approved For Release 2001/03/07 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003000020009-8 Approved For Release 2001/03/07 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003000020009-8 1. Jack Houck, "PK Party Format and Materials Required," Private Publication, March 16, 1982 2. Jack Houck, "Conceptual Model of Paranormal Phenomena," Private Publication, September 21, 1982 3. J.H. Westbrook and H. Conrad (Eds.), "The Science of Hardness Testing and Its Research Applications," American Society for Metals, 1973 4. ASM Metals Handbook--9th Ed., 1981, Volume 4, Table 2, page 17 Approved For Release 2001/03/07 : CIA-RDP96-00789R003000020009-8