So, Madman's Hellborer is now canon. On the one hand, this is bad, as it makes expanding MAGMA much harder. On the other, it means we can do this:
PURE IRON:You may have heard about the cessation of MAGMA expansion. There is, of course, an official excuse- something about cost concerns- but the real, classified, reason are the beings colloquially known as Hellborers. Well, we heard about the Hellborer corpse being held in a maximum-security warehouse, and went to check it out, along with some chemists from the DUC. Though almost pulverised by bullets and explosions, the remains were still fascinating. The structure of these beings resembles nothing on Earth (as in, nothing on the surface). We were especially interested in its natural armour and "iron" skeleton, so we had the DUC run some tests on samples extracted- with great difficulty, given the extreme hardness- from the beast.
"Moving on, test 012, elemental analysis of sample 003, skeletal matter. Sample 003 was found to consist of entirely of iron isotopes, with no other elements present."
"I'm sorry, I think I misheard. Did you say no other elements?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"That's insane. Earlier you said tests revealed sample 003 to be ten times stronger than steel!"
"This is also correct."
"But... everyone knows alloys are stronger!"
"Sir, I am an Unusual Chemist. I do not believe in what everyone knows. And I'm telling you, sample 003 is pure iron."
"No alloys? Solid iron?"
"Correct. Although, I should mention that the ratio of Fe-60 was unusually high, at almost 6%."
"Remind me, how common is Fe-60 in nature?"
"Fe-60 has a half-life of 2.6 million years, only occurs in supernovae, and is found only in trace amounts in most iron deposits. Most Fe-60 on earth is believed to have arrived here as stellar dust after a nearby supernova roughly 2 million years ago. Samples of iron ore from the lower levels of MAGMA show increased levels compared to surface deposits, however, for which there is no explanation."
Naturally, we ordered immediate further study into Fe-60's properties. The results were astounding. Fe-60 on an atomic and molecular level behaves like regular iron. However, on a macro scale, things get
Unusual. A mere 1% of Fe-60 makes iron almost twice as strong as regular steel. Increasing it to 6% results in an eightfold increase. 100% Fe-60 has, so far, proven impossible to test the effective strength of, as it has broken every piece of testing equipment we have.
(Astute observers may note that the Hellborer skeleton contained 6% Fe-60 and was ten times stronger than regular steel, as opposed to the eight times we found in testing. It is not known how this extra strength is gained; the DUC has requested access to a living specimen in order to observe the growth process in action, which MAGMA overseers have absolutely refused to consider. Research is ongoing, but for now, we'll have to settle for our slightly weaker Fe-60.)
Furthermore, Fe-60 seems to
hate electrical currents. Even small amounts significantly reduce the iron's natural conductivity, to the point where 10% Fe-60 can be used as insulation.
Attempting to alloy iron containing significant amounts of Fe-60 somehow nullifies the extra strength- it returns to behaving like regular iron. Indeed, all attempts to add significant impurities to the iron have resulted in this- anything below 99.98% iron becomes substantially weaker. So, pure iron it is.
Or rather, PURE IRON-
Pilfered Underground Rock Eater's Intensely Robust Organic Negator. The name merely indicates where the inspiration came from; we're not actually planning on harvesting Hellborer skeletons. No, the iron deposits found above Hellborer territory contain sufficient levels of Fe-60 for us to produce PURE IRON plating that is as strong as- if not stronger than- COMBAT plating, all at a significantly reduced cost. The metallurgical experience gained creating COMBAT plating will not go to waste, as finding a way to reliably extract Fe-60 and smelt it without adding impurities will require skills not often employed elsewhere.
The exact percentage of Fe-60 in PURE IRON plating may be altered, depending on cost concerns. Our goal is to be able to replace all our armour with PURE IRON containing enough Fe-60 to be effectively as strong as COMBAT plating, but should Fe-60 prove easier to extract than anticipated, stronger PURE IRON may be issued. Should Fe-60 prove harder to extract than anticipated, COMBAT plating may continue to be used on certain units, whilst those who can't afford it are equipped with PURE IRON.
E: Fallacy pointed out that COMBAT plating is also, crucially, resistant to electrical attacks. I'm considering adding electrical resistance to PURE IRON, but that might be pushing it. I mean, the main reason I even like this idea is for the meme value.
E2: Screw it, added a line about Fe-60 reducing conductivity. Chiefwaffles has indicated that he likes PURE IRON,
and has said it'd auto-roll an 8 if I can make a backronym for NO ALLOYS.