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New Metal That's Full of Holes
anoopsinha writes "Wired reports: 'Caltech researchers have made a metallic glass-based foam that is stronger than traditional metal alloys, providing industry with a revolutionary lightweight material.' Currently the applications envisioned for metallic foams are in automobile and aircraft crumple zones, which absorb the impact of collisions, and in artificial bone. Some imagine using the foam to create structures in space."
Aircraft crumple zones....
That can't be good
Nobody told me Microsoft opened a steel mill?
Just keep on going in this direction, increase the bubble/metal ratio and soon we'll have transparent aluminium which looks like air, feels like air, and has the structural strength of air! Think of all the applications!!!
Daniel
Carpe Diem
I spent the whole morning talking into my mouse, trying to convince my computer to display the formula, but alas ...
I'm stuck with this quaint keyboard thing.
To celebrate the occasion of my 1000th post, I will post no more forever on Slashdot. Goodbye.
I thought the name was cute.:-p
But they'll have to come up with a really catchy "space-agey" name to market it to the general public. The idea of a commercial VO saying "The new BMW 7-series, now with BUBBLOY!" makes me giggle a little bit.
There are 10 kinds of people: those who understand binary, and those who don't.
Researchers are debating over the name for this new metal. Currently, the top two contenders are "Mithril" and "Adamantium" :-)
...like a steel sponge.
(source: the hilarious "Use Bizarre Metaphors" idea at the Halfbakery)
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