New Metal That's Full of Holes

Wired ^ | 02:00 AM Sep. 16, 2003 PT | Editorial Staff

[vannrox]

Caltech researchers have made a metallic glass-based foam that is stronger than traditional metal alloys, providing industry with a revolutionary lightweight material.

Although bubbloy (bubble-alloy) is entering a crowded field of metallic foams, it has the advantage of a smooth plastic or glasslike consistency where others are grainy.

[vannrox]

---Neato----

[sam_paine]

[Kevin OMalley]

In order to get the full idea of how significant this is, I suggest doing a search for the following key words:

sinterization
boundary layer control
electrogravitics
Renato Vesco

You'll get the idea.

[yoe]

Is this then Antimatter?

[Willie Green]

Tiny bubbles (tiny bubbles)
In the steel (in the steel)
Make me happy (make me happy)
Make a sprocket wheel. (No need to anneal.)

Tiny bubbles (tiny bubbles)
Make me warm all over
With a feeling that I'm gonna
Love you till the end of time

So here's to the golden moon
And here's to the silver sea
And mostly here's a toast
To you and me

So here's to the ginger lei
I give to you today
And here's a kiss
That will not fade away

[Chewbacca]

With all the porous holes, wouldn't it allow hydrogen embrittalment or allow in corrosive materials which could cause intergranular corrosion or exfoliation?

Hmmmmm...maybe if they used an epoxy primer or sealant...?

[Stars N Stripes]

No, however this could lead to major advances in metallurgical head gear.

[Petronski]

" Make a sprocket wheel. (No need to anneal.)"

LOL

[Stars N Stripes]

OH! Puleeeeeez... sheesh!

[Fitzcarraldo]

Caltech, call your patent attorney.

[Kay Soze]

"We don't make the products you buy, we make the products you buy better."

Could be the GOP’s slogan.

This new process/product will help offshore manufacturing to be better equipped to compete globally.

[aruanan]

Although bubbloy (bubble-alloy)

Bubballoy sounds nicer.

[Argus]

It's like the MIT locker room in here.

[Centurion2000]

"I am not aware of any metallic foam that is made completely of an amorphous alloy," like bubbloy is, Mayo said. "It is an interesting choice, since one feature of foams is that they can often dampen vibrations, but in this case the chosen alloy would have the property of not damping vibrations. Instead, the amorphous alloy would tend to return the energy to whatever item was impacting it

I wonder how it would stand up as armor plating ?

[Falcon4.0]

They have locker rooms at MIT?

[Argus]

Hey, the Math Team needs a place to shower, too.

[roadcat]

Although bubbloy (bubble-alloy) is entering a crowded field of metallic foams, it has the advantage of a smooth plastic or glasslike consistency where others are grainy.

Will Transparent Aluminum be next? (Star Trekkies will remember this from the movie.)

[aruanan]

With all the porous holes, wouldn't it allow hydrogen embrittalment or allow in corrosive materials which could cause intergranular corrosion or exfoliation?

To a depth of up to 10 microns. And can a bubble be truly said to be porous?

[CommandoFrank]

New metal that's full of holes...

Well, my buckets got a hole in it,
Yea my buckets got a hole in it.
Well, my buckets got a how in it...
Don't work no more...

Ricky Nelson