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Super Strong Metal Foam Discovered
MikeChino writes to tell us that a North Carolina State University researcher has discovered what appears to be the strongest metal foam yet, capable of compressing up to 80% of its original size under load and still retain the original shape. The hope is that this amazing material could be used in cars, body armor, or even buildings to absorb the shock from earthquakes. "Metal foam is exactly what you might think – a cellular structure made from metal with tiny pockets of space inside. What makes Rabiei’s metal foam better than others is that she’s been able to make the tiny pockets of space more uniform. And that apparently is what gives it the strength as well as elasticity it needs in order to compress as much as it does without deformation. Many tests are being performed in the laboratory to determine its strength, but so far Rabiei says that the spongy material has 'a much higher strength-to-density ratio than any metal foam that has ever been reported.' Calculations also predict that in car accidents, when two pieces of her composite metal foam are inserted 'behind the bumper of a car traveling at 28 mph, the impact would feel the same to passengers as an impact traveling at only 5 mph.'"
and underwear design problems! If we can just get some aluminum oxide mixed into the alloy...I'll be free, free at last!
Some hot metal, a tiny straw, and a guy who's really good at measuring his breaths.
Needless to say, scaling is a problem.
The enemies of Democracy are
"...behind the bumper of a car traveling at 28 mph, the impact would feel the same to passengers as an impact traveling at only 5 mph,,,"
George Carlin used to point out that if you put a large spike on the steering wheel so that the driver would suffer badly in a collision, the numbers of collisions would drop dramatically.
Best regards.
Think China, lots of guys, lots of straws.
Au contraire! Some of the impact force will compress the foam, instead of compressing the child's head.
My testing has conclusive shown that a child's head, impacted at 25 mph by a block of this foam, will compress only 3 inches, compared to 5 inches when hit by a piece of solid aluminum.
Clearly this means that children will be 40% less dead when hit by a Canyonero driven by a soccer mom texting her neighbor's landscaper about getting her garden tilled*, provided that the Canyonero is equipped with this foam.
*And by getting her garden tilled, I mean having her bushes trimmed**
**And by having her bushes trimmed, I mean having bulbs planted***
****And by having bulbs planted, I mean having roots... oh screw it. I mean having a tryst.
"Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
Damn, and we already shipped all of our tiny straw manufacturing over to China!
The enemies of Democracy are
Clearly this means that children will be 40% less dead when hit by a Canyonero
That might be enough for Miracle Max to work with!
****And by having bulbs planted, I mean having roots... oh screw it. I mean having a tryst.
I'm still confused... What's a tryst? Are they perennials? What's this landscaper's number, I think I could use a tryst or two.
The enemies of Democracy are
He's asking "what is the breakthrough," not "what is a breakthrough," which is a small difference, but crucial. What changed about the process, or in the concept behind the process that allowed the breakthrough to happen. That's the question posed.
I suppose with your smartass answer, you're used to being able to coast through limited reading comprehension through application of "humour."
Canada: The US's more awesome sibling.
Nah. All you need is a straw-transistor: You blow in a small straw, which controls a huge turbine, blowing out of a bazillion straws into a bazillion glasses of fresh metal milk.
Any sufficiently advanced intelligence is indistinguishable from stupidity.
"Can a car with magic foam in the bumper really make a 30mph collison feel like 5mph?"
In the end - they blow up the foam!