HYDRAULIC PRESS TURNS GRAPHITE INTO DIAMOND
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- čas přidán 17. 04. 2024
- The process of creating an artificial diamond from graphite using a 500 ton hydraulic press. Challenge
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Well, congratulations would seem to be in order. Those are very definitely the yellow crystals of industrial diamonds.
Used to sell for less than $1 per carat (very roughly about 1/4 inch cubed, or 6mm cubed), 30 years ago. So no, this is not an economical production system.
The yellow colour is due to nitrogen atoms getting trapped in the diamond crystal as it forms. That can be scavenged out by chemical additives to the reaction chamber, but it just adds cost and complexity. For use as grinding pastes and powders, or sintered into "tip tools" for use on lathes, or drill bits that core into hard rock, the colour is irrelevant.
De Beers used to be one of the "big three" manufacturers of industrial diamond last century. They started out using 500 ton presses back in the 1950's. By 1990, they were using presses capable of 22,000 tons, and a piston size of 6 inches. They could make 3,000 carats of industrial diamond crystals in about 45 minutes, per press. The tungsten carbide piston and die used multiple steel bands as support rings (aka compound cylinder, using Lame equations), to avoid the piston collapse you experienced.
The engineering needed was at the very limits of material science and industrial capability. And it still is. Tungsten carbide can withstand about 45k atmospheres, but only in compression. It is no better than a good steel in tension, surviving maybe only 10k atmospheres. And what you have not mentioned at all, is that when the piston presses on the graphite to build up the compressive pressure in the press axis direction, tensile stresses are created in the other two dimensions. The piston expands radially, relying on the cylinder for radial support (lubricated by extruding graphite in the 3rd experiment) but ultimately that cylinder will also split due to tensile hoop stresses from the graphite (and cylinder) pressing outwards on the inner bore.
Another fun fact: graphite is nature's best spring. A solid lump of it can be compressed to half of it's original height, and will then bounce back all the way to it's original height with no permanent deformation. Try doing that with any metal - you'd be lucky to get beyond 1% compression. Bear in mind I am NOT talking about a geometric device like an automobile suspension spring - I'm talking about a SOLID BLOCK of the material.
In fact, given the cylinder dimensions, I am completely surprised it did not split if the pressure was indeed high enough to make diamond. I mean, even the piston in the second experiment mushroomed completely before it reached the appropriate load. In fact, experiment 2 was a complete misdirection, since once that piston mushroomed and transferred the axial load onto the end of the cylinder (which also became expanded) the press load was NOT compressing the graphite any more, and ALL of the load increase went axially through the cylinder instead.
The indentation into the press platten of the third experiment proves the press load was transmitted though the piston and graphite. You should have seen an identical indent in the upper platten, buried beneath the shards from the WC (that's chemical annotation for Tungsten Carbide, btw, and not Water Closet). If you had used pads of WC top and bottom to diffuse the load, you might have saved your plattens. But it was also likely you would have sheared discs in those pads, and had the same end result damage. The pads would probably have had to be something like 50mm thick (as a raw guesstimate) to have avoided shear failure and protected the plattens.
Certain ceramic powders (soils, or crushed rocks) can indeed withstand the pressure gradient to seal in the graphite. De Beers had developed quite a few special concotions to achieve that "gasket". It was all highly secret, since nobody wanted to reveal to the competition just how their process worked.
Your temperature, however, would only have been high close to the copper. The piston and die (and possibly the press frame) all form conductive paths that would disperse and distribute the current from the welder. Resistance of the graphite is relatively high compared with those metals, so the current would have passed through the metal as a short circuit (you mentioned the breaker tripped) and avoided the graphite as much as possible. Temperature is a function of current density, meaning that while the copper wire was hot enough to melt and fuse, once that copper touched the piston and die and press it would have dispersed to a much lower density, and hence have heated the material far less.
It is possible to convert graphite to diamond without needing that high temperature - but the pressure has to be far higher. I think you managed that by accident - rather than 50k atmospheres and 1000C, you probably got something like 70k atmospheres and a few hundred C at best. Those pressures will destroy any containment vessel, so it can never be cost effective.
Also, you had no molten metal (iron and cobalt are typical solvents) that can dissolve the graphite and nucleate out the diamond crystals which then grow larger by diffusion of carbon through the molten metal. Crystal size thus depends on time, and even the small crystals you got here seem far too big for the time it was under pressure.
Which all means I am not entirely sure how you got relatively large diamond crystals that show no sign of inclusions of graphite in them (black streaks embedded in the crystal). That kind of "total matrix transformation" from the planar hexagons of graphite into the 3D tetrahedron of diamond is not something I have ever encountered. It feels more like the shock loading option, using ballistic projectiles splatting to a dead stop (like firing cast iron lumps with large graphite inclusions at high speed into a concrete wall) to generate a transient dynamic pressure that achieves the transformation. But this press process is not at all dynamic (fast) enough to do that.
One last semantic for general benefit: these are synthetic diamonds. Which does NOT meant they are "artificial" diamonds. No, these are very much real diamond, made of carbon.
The word "synthetic" means man-made, as opposed to naturally occuring. Hence, a synthetic fuel is a fuel we have created from coal, or plant oils, or suchlike. Synthetic diamond (whether the grotty yellow of industrial diamonds, or the pick-your-preferred color of some modern gemstone diamonds) were manufactured by us, not dug out the ground.
Artificial diamonds would be an alternative material like Cubic Zirconia - definitely NOT carbon, and hence not diamond, but a mineral crystal that has similar refractive properties to polished diamonds, hence they can LOOK like gemstone diamonds, sparkling with similar brilliance, at a fraction of the price.
The difference between artifical and synthetic is one of the most widely misunderstood uses of language...
Well done for reading this far. Sorry for the excess detail. I hope you found it interesting.
Damn, you should start a youtube channel lol
Thanks for the insights!
@ARealGopher someone who actually studies this basically. Not necessarily smarter just more committed to this knowledge than most
That was educational!
Holy shit dude, get investors and make some diamonds
Graphite in pencils is mixed with clay. This makes it a poor choice for making diamonds out of. Pure carbon powder is cheap and will give a much better result.
Basically that's charcoal powder you can buy it as toothpaste these days at the dollar store extremely fine powder that is on the micron scale ⚖️
I saw superman doit with heat vision and pressure in his hands
Oh wow like that dude trying to create diamonds is superman, sry dude but supermans not real
@@davethegirlboss 1 iq
@@davethegirlboss whole new levels of dumb is what you're reaching with comments like that
was looking for this exact comment - good job.
@davethegirlboss Jesus... SMH..... Actually the name sort of sums it up for me. Enough said
Seems to me that you just short circuited your welding transformer by a big metal slab and it had miniscule effect on the temperature rise in the pressure chamber due to very low resistance of metals the chamber consisted of, big thermal mass of the slab and relatively high resistance of graphite. The current just won't go through graphite in such conditions. Not to mention ridiculous wire connections. A few minutes of heating up with a blow torch under pressure seem way more appropriate.
I agree
A candle across the room would add more heat than that ridiculous setup.
fist thought, he must have thought of this but went the show must go on.
I certainly hope you gave your kitty a treat, after all it was his help that allowed you to succeed.
The stuff you do with this press is pretty dang cool. And the kitty helping out adds a great touch. you got my sub. sandpaper or an abrasive of some kind .
Diamond sand is an abrasive, like sand paper. I think if you change your setup a bit you could get a much better and larger yeild. Very cool
I would recommend an inductive heater - pretty easy to make and works with steel - for the chamber heating.
You’re missing 2 key components. Heat and time, as well as more pressure…
Math is hard
That's exactly what I was going to say
Did you even watch the video lmfaoooooo
You're missing 1 key component: a brain.
So you didn’t watch the video. You could have just said so 🤷♂️
Along with the electric arc welder try heating up everything in an open crucible before adding the pressure.
Once glowing hit the pressure and leave it on for about 30 minutes, you should be able to get the atmospheric pressure and temps coupled with the time might get you to diamond.
Wow. Congratulations. I wouldn't think you'd get a decent engagement ring from this experiment, it's certainly interesting though!
Pete 🏴
You basically immediately created short circuit with the uninsolated wire touching a cylinder of conductive metal from two sides. So the current was flowing by the path of least resistance, which would be most likely the surface of the cylinder.
You could possibly make your own grinding type of tooling with them, which would make for an interesting video I’d certainly watch lol
Use Carbon Black either mixed with or without Graphite.
Try forming the material into a large solid piece with the press gently, then heat that large piece to over 1200 degrees. Quickly put it into the steel hole attached to copper wires then press.
Just an idea but you might get larger diamonds or more of them.
At first thought i thought the cat had a better chance of pooping diamonds then you trying to press them but i guess it worked ! Pretty freaking neat !
The importance of this experience isn't the amount produced but just to show that it's theoretically possible and what conditions are required. Once you figure that out, it's possible to devise more efficient ways to achieve those results.
We used diamond polishing compounds for injection molds. It came in a 1ml syringe and cost hundreds of dollars. A dab on a popsicle stick can make small scratches disappear.
Use a spring on bottom to lift the cylinder, but put a plug on bottom and top, then crush from both ends at same time....the spring will keep cylinder suspended until both plugs are crushed inside..hope it wont explode.
I think you should try During HPHT, pure carbon is pressed within a metal cube and exposed to immense heat and pressure through electric pulses. Eventually, the carbon breaks down and crystallises into a diamond. Any metal traces within a HPHT diamond will be minuscule and usually not visible to the naked eye
at LLNL on visitors day, they used the "Diamond Anvil" to turn peanut butter into tiny diamonds!!
The professionals use a diamond for nucleation inside their machines. And they use more /t as they are using heat and pressure. You may also wish to insulate the conductors. Like washers...
The forst 2 attempts the length of the center piece did not seem long enough because it seems like the press hit the sides which contains the graphite but does not put pressure on it. Only the carbide one seemed long enough.
Not only do you need to exert a lot of pressure on the graphite, you also need to put a lot of heat into it as well.
Great job! keep pushing.
As demonstrated by carbon vapor deposition CVD diamond formation, the temperature is more critical for the creation of a diamond molecular matrix than pressure.
There’s some pretty neat “do-it-at-home” sputtering devices from just jam jars on YT. Might be interesting to check those out
Always need to be mindful with carbide. It’s going to mess up anything you press it into until it explodes into micro shrapnel.
Love your "observer"!
You could use the diamonds for clockmaking.
Have you tryed to cut the inside cylinder in 2 parts and put the graphite between the 2 parts inside the big cylinder ?
Pressure is force PER area, not force x area!!!
should use the press to turn a screw into a point press could effectively redistribute the pressure more efficiently.....but what do i know :P
Still got diamonds that's good enough.
You bought a tungsten carbide tool blank, that’s why it has flats. Look for normal rod stock, but I don’t think tungsten is your best bet. It’s very strong but brittle. You may do better with a high nickel alloy such as Inconel or Haynes or a cobalt alloy like Stellite.
You need a seed diamond first also you need a lot of heat. Just pressing it won’t generate enough heat, additionally it takes hours to produce small diamonds so you’re not making diamonds this way.
You would need water to make the carbon material moist to get it to make bond for perfect diamonds.
Okay, this was utterly cool!
Indeed, the the heat part seems a bit rushed and use a better carbon source
I was thinking... induction for heat and perhaps fire a canon ball for the "pressure"?
So 2 heated plugs one from top one from bottom....then squish them together
They'd be neat in a real wind up watch.
Very good work!!
Perhaps sand paper or cutting wheels for hard material like tungsten
This may come as a shocker, steel makes an extremely poor electrical insulator.
There was No arc whatsoever.
An insulated wire might have allowed some arcing.
he could also have filled up the volume between the tungstencarbide rod and the metal drillhole with some insulator, so there is only a contact going "trough" the carbon on the bottom and nowhere else
Steel isn't all that conductive. It's commonly used as a minor insulator any time steel is wanted for its other properties as well.
@@WilhelmEleywhat would you suggest to get the temperature going then ?
"as a shocker" -- nicely done
Could be used in the tip of a cutting tool
Congratulations for the result.
Diamond sandpaper. That's what makes the most sense to me.
Also carbon will convert on the edge of steel into Fe³C (surface layer).
Use a carbide drill blank.
how about colecting all yellow, bits and just redoing the experiment, with the yellow stuff, or collect it all up, redo once more, maybe more commrested bit stick better to form a ball/clump, and not fly compressing piston setup,
alright that was awesome and unexpected, you definitely earned a sub for this
Can't you calculate the pressure from the Rockwell hardness?
11:25 Your problem is not heat or pressure, it that your cat is mooing like a cow. LOL
I thought the same thing. I was like did he just say his damn cat is mooing
Diamonds like that could be used in drill bits, maybe
How do you do the math for "three times less"?
I enjoyed the background music more than the video....can someone send the link for the background music?
"When i heard the cat mewing" - Sigma cat
Yeahp, cats are awesome...!!! Electric arc inside .... I doubt it, because that was a short circuit between the top and the bottom
of the cylinder, and that's why the circuit breaker went down....!!! Good video.
What would you suggest to get the heat up ?
It is not just the pressure that makes the dime and it needs the heat also
You'd better put a paper towel under that or you're gonna have some scratches on the base. 😂 I'm dying to see if he welded the piston to the press. 😂😂😂
Can you find a way to capture the diamonds in a candle's flame?
Tumbler sand is what I think it would be good in.
You miss 3 times the power so you need another press on east and west and another in South and north.
Did you send them to a lab to test them to be sure they were actual diamond, and not the result of other impurities? Pencil led has other stuff added to it and IDK what the temperatures and pressures in this experiment might do to those impurities. Its mostly clay, so it might produce some kind of glossy ceramic that looks like what you found. If they are real diamonds then that's awesome. Either way I would love to see more experiments. I would recommend using activated carbon. You can find it in most drug stores and it is very high purity. If you used an all tungsten setup of die and piston and didn't go too high on the pressure, it might last a lot longer and produce much bigger crystals. Turning the heat down a bit might also increase the life of the experiment and the crystal size.
Woohoo! you're rich now big guy! Pizzas on you!🤣
I find it funny that you have a very high-end press and a $10 pair of calipers.
They’re called cubic zirconium modern day, diamonds. It’s basically what he’s talking about doing, but without all the machinery necessary to accomplish it.
Large diamond minors like have found enough diamonds to fill massive warehouses if they were to release all the diamonds that they found it would destroy the market and diamonds would be worthless because they are worthless because the value is inflated by the massive amount of them that they have off the market
Cubic zirconium is not a diamond at all
There should have been some graphine which would have been a little on the grey gray side.
Next time can you teach us to great gold, sir?
finally someone did it.
You need a lot of heat with that pressure too. And good luck in generating the pressure needed……💥☠️NOPE NO.
I wonder if we can make nuclear diamonds like this
unless you can make 2000c furnace that has 100000psi and without any other gas included . more importantly it should last more than 24hr.
Gave the cat a like!!!
🎉ehhh might be a couple dollars worth
you cant compress carbons into diamonds using linear pressure. the diamonds made in labs are made inside atmospheric chamber. similar to how you compress and harden carbon fibres.
Arc Wielding. Like sword wielding but different.
Umm, I don’t know for sure but my geologist father once told me that diamonds are created under extreme pressures, yes…but also extreme heat 🔥 🌋
😅
…so you should probably add a flamethrower in the mix!? 😂
Small diamonds make excellent abrasives.
I think the current would have shorted through the structure of the press and not the chamber with the graphite
One piston from bottom..one from Top if possible better
Used in diamond cutting wheels
Less heat means a lot more pressure needed.
can be used as sand paper
Love the part where the cat noses her way into the video!
CARBON + EXTREME PRESSURE…
👉🏻 PLUS LOTS OF TIME 👈🏻
It requires heat as one of the 3 components. A press won't do that.
That's what the electrical arc was for.
What would you suggest?
its probably cheaper to journey to the centre of the earth and youre more likely to find bigger diamonds
Consider the fact that if all you had to do was put graphite in a press and crush it to make diamonds, diamonds would be worthless.
Diamonds are already low value. They're not easy or cheap to make, but they are very abundant in certain places. Jewelry companies are lying to you about their worth and artificially inflating their market price to perhaps hundreds of times their actual value.
@@TheReaverOfDarkness There is a major difference between a diamond that would be used in jewelry, which are quite rare, and industrial diamonds. Industrial diamonds are quite cheap because they are so common. Jewelry diamonds are not. Cheaper than one would think, but jewelry, especially high quality jewelry, is artisanal work and commands top price due to the skill needed not not only properly cut and polish them, but also the rest of the process in creating the jewelry.
@@jgkitarel No, that's not true. Most industrial diamonds are synthetic. The really big prize diamonds that make the news and wind up in some figure of royalty's palace are rare and hard to find. But basic jewelry-grade diamonds are so abundant we could literally fit every human on Earth with a diamond ring. The cost of having those 5 or so carat diamonds cut and polished to jewelry grade standards and then set within a 14 carat gold ring is less than the cost of the gold in the gold ring. (Though, gold price is also greatly over-inflated.) If you go into a tax-free zone, you can buy diamond rings for under $100 US. When they charge you $15,000+ for a diamond, that fee is almost entirely the cost of purchasing the stone itself, and it funds the diamond cartels' ability to enslave the diamond miners, control market share, and pretend they don't have billions of these things stocked away in private reserves.
Diamonds are very useful in two endeavors. First, to be used in many industrial applications. The second, as a form of extraction of money from an otherwise intelligent man.
I like your words funny magic man
0:50 NOPE! made of clay.
i tried with burned sugar, but not enough pressure.
tungsten carbide does not withstand intense heat from an electric arc, it explode.
use a torch.
With some tinkering uou might make bigger ones no?
You need heat as well as pressure. Maybe run electricity through the graphite to generate heat? Oh! You are trying that!
If you want diamonds that badly you need to set your press up against the vault door of De Beers’. 😂
It’s not like they’re using 90% of them for anything, they’re just sat there driving the price up.
Also don’t you need a seed diamond to do this properly?
De Beers doesn't hold nearly as much of a market share as days of old. Not nearly enough to actually be able to influence the market prices like that. Closest semblance they have to that power, modern day, is investing in upstart synthetic diamond lab companies so those companies will flood that market & natural diamonds as a whole gain value. But that even benefits their competitors. While tales of their monopoly were once true, they are just old wives' tales now.
Now do the same thing with selenium and a tungsten dai
How many of y’all started getting an exhaust leak in your brain after listing to all that math and skipped it to the action? 🫠🤯
No?
They use bombs to make industrial diamond lol
I dont know if you did but u probebly needed a crystal seed
A seed is required to grow diamonds in a microwave but not under pressure and heat combined. But of course growing diamonds at home with a microwave is far too dangerous to be worth trying
@@TipsyGalaxy haha yea i was like wtf wont your microwave just explode
damn Very cool
Bravo tungsteno perfect
The only use i could think of is diamon sand paper.