New Metal Foam Armor Obliterates Bullets To Dust On Impact (discovery.com)

HughPickens.com writes: Discovery Magazine reports that researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a super strong armor material that literally turns bullets to dust upon impact. The armor plating is made in part from composite metal foams, or CMFs, which are both lighter and stronger than traditional metal plating used in body and vehicle armor. The armor -- only an inch thick -- features a ceramic strike face, Kevlar backing, and CMFs in the energy-absorbing middle layer. "We could stop the bullet at a total thickness of less than an inch, while the indentation on the back was less than 8 millimeters," says Afsaneh Rabiei. "To put that in context, the NIJ standard allows up to 44 millimeters indentation in the back of an armor." CMFs are very effective at shielding X-rays, gamma rays and neutron radiation. Other applications include space exploration and shipping nuclear waste which both require a material to be not only light and strong, but also capable of withstanding extremely high temperatures and blocking radiation. A video shows a 7.62 x 63 millimeter M2 armor-piercing projectile that was fired using standard testing procedures established by the Department of Justice for evaluating armor types.

Comments

7.62x63mm

[Anonymous Coward]

For those who are confused, 7.62x63mm is the metric designation for a .30-06.

the weight is the impressive part

[Orgasmatron]

Stopping a 30-06 M2 isn't actually that hard. A half inch of steel will do it easily. If that steel is of the Abrasion Resistant (AR) variety of decent grade (like AR400 or AR500), it will hold up to thousands of shots with virtually no wear.

Of course, a half inch steel plate is very heavy and not the sort of thing an infantryman wants to have to wear. Which is why Type IV plates are made of exotic materials like this.

This armor is actually a laminate. The impact surface is ceramic and very hard. The metal foam is in the middle and it distributes the load over a wider area. The Kevlar layers are presumably there to catch any fragments that penetrate. Actually, it sounds an awful lot like the Chobham that we use on the M1 Abrams.

And, since it is finally on topic, here is a link to a video with a bunch of bullet impacts in slow motion. It is amazing!.

Re:the weight is the impressive part

[wheelbarrio]

Clearly a lot of uniformed upvoters here if this gets a 5. The article says the test was done with an M2 AP (not ball) round and a half inch of even armour steel is not stopping one of those, let alone "thousands of shots with virtually no wear". See for yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...