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3D-Printed Material Can Carry 160,000 Times Its Own Weight
rtoz writes: Researchers have found a new material design based on the use of microlattices with nanoscale features, combining great stiffness and strength with ultralow density. The actual production of such materials is made possible by a high-precision 3-D printing process called projection microstereolithography. Normally, stiffness and strength declines with the density of any material; that's why when bone density decreases, fractures become more likely. But using the right mathematically determined structures to distribute and direct the loads, the lighter structure can maintain its strength. This newly invented material is among the lightest in the world. It can easily withstand a load of more than 160,000 times its own weight.
Could they make a thread of the stuff?
Can someone 3d print me a prosthetic?
Would this material make one possible?
The working material is ants.
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No, read it as.... ...because of that follows next:
"Normally, stiffness and strength declines with the [decline in] density of any [single] material;"
"that's why when bone density decreases, fractures become more likely."
You: Read it again: declines with density. DECLINES. Mercury is very dense, hence its stiffness has DECLINED to the point where it is very low.
Subby: "that's why when bone density decreases, fractures become more likely"
Someone's incorrect here.
Fruth Innovative Technologien has developed an algorithm to fill large volumes with such a scaffolding quickly. This speeds up building time and saves on the precious sinter powder, and yes, the scaffolding is very strong for its weight. They do this for more than a decade now. And now a MIT professor comes up with the same idea, and it is presented as a breakthrough. MIT marketing at work.
You know it's time for the next revolution when your rulers' names end with roman numerals.
Plenty of materials have great strength in one way but virtually lone in another.
So at best, this material use is limited ways, and thus requires combination with other materials which lose most of that big sounding number in any practical use.
Until they can 3D print microlattices made of graphene it's a no go.
The news is that they are printing with light. This means smaller processors. more data on a DVD and many more things. Not 'just' material that can carry 160.000 times its own weight.
Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
Printing with light, AKA Stereolithography has been around for a long time. The news here is that they're printing feature sizes that are smaller than the wavelength of the light they are using. This involves using metamaterials with a negative index of refraction (among other things)
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Space elevator cable first needs very high tensile strength just to hold it own weight (thats 22000 mile PLUS the counterweight portion extending outwards to counter the downward pull (some designs make that another duplicate cable going out that much further 22000 more miles).
Anyway, for the thing to work as a elevator the mechanism that goes up and down has to grip the cable and generate sufficient friction to move against gravity and then upwards (and to brake on the way down). That 'gripping' puts shear stress on the cable material as it squeezes the cable (requiring an armored surfacing which NOW has to exist on that long length ....more weight).
Strengthen that high tensile material itself ? Like the epoxy matrix around graphite fiber -- how much weight is that going to be that will greatly increase the weight of the entire cable (it adds little to the tensile up down strength)?? Thats now compression strength built up across the cable diameter, (actually across it to the opposite side) and intermeshed with the axial oriented cable tension element so it wont slip.
LOTS more weight to the whole thing (matrix might have to be many times the density/total weight of the linear element) which the tensile material will NOW have to hold all the weight of.
Lets not forget things like thermal stress on the materials, countermeasures against corrosion of all kinds, and added surge margins to compensate for irregular stress conditions
Another fun thing is because the weight hanging/pulling upwards varies at different points along the cable the strength required can vary, thus its thickness may also (to cut down its required weight somewhat)
They made an utrastrong spongebob squarepants
Are we out of cat food?
You're a temporary arrangement of matter sliding towards oblivion in a cold, uncaring universe
Oboy. Do we finally have something that can make a big sphere strong enough and light enough that when pumped to a vacuum it will work as a lifting body?
Not to mention, strong enough to make a deep sea diving bell strong enough that it won't crush?
Same principle. Oh please ...
Normally, stiffness and strength declines with the density of any material; that's why when bone density decreases, fractures become more likely.
I can see what was meant, but OP actually got this backward. It should be "Normally, stiffness and strength increases with density; that's why when bone density decreases, fractures become more likely."
It's great that a comparison is made to the strength of the Eiffel Tower, but the reality is that we're talking about MICROstereolithorgraphy. If it printed a layer one micron in thickness, each layer needing an hour of production time, that's on the order of one century per inch.
This will be useful only where small parts are to be made that can withstand large forces: a miniature gyro perhaps rotating at insane speeds...
but i still weigh more than a gram