Posted on 07/03/2004 8:33:36 AM PDT by PatrickHenry
Scientists at the University of Virginia have announced the discovery of a non-magnetic amorphous material that is three times stronger than conventional steel and has superior anti-corrosion properties. A future variation of the new material, called DARVA-Glass 101, could be used for making ship hulls, lighter automobiles, tall buildings, corrosion-resistant coatings, surgical instruments and recreational equipment. The scientists say commercial use of the material could be available within three to five years.
The material, made up of steel alloys that possess a randomized arrangement of atoms -- thus “amorphous steel” -- was discovered by modifying an earlier version of amorphous steel known as DARVA-Glass 1 reported by the U.Va. researchers at the Fall 2002 meeting of the Materials Research Society. In May of this year they reported on DARVA-Glass 101 in the Journal of Materials Research.
“Amorphous steels can potentially revolutionize the steel industry,” said Joseph Poon [please, no jokes!], professor of physics at U.Va. and principal investigator for the team that has discovered the material and is now making alterations of it for possible future use in mass production.
[snip]
Poon said the amorphous steel is extremely strong, but brittle in its current state. “We need to toughen the material more,” he said. “We can always make it better.”
According to the U.Va. researchers, amorphous steel can be machined as well as manipulated like a plastic. “It can be squeezed, compressed, flattened and shaped.” Poon said.
The material is of particular interest to the Navy for making non-magnetic ship hulls, particularly for submarines, which are detectable by the magnetic field of their hulls. The amorphous steel that the U.Va. team is refining is non-magnetic, potentially making a ship invisible to magnetism detectors and mines that are detonated by magnetic fields. The new material also may be useful for producing lighter but harder armor-piercing projectiles. The publicly traded company Liquidmetal Technologies owns an exclusive license to the amorphous steel invented by the U.Va. scientists. [Hot stock tip?]
Other possible uses include recreational equipment such as tennis racquets, golf clubs and bicycles as well as electronic devices.
Check Liquidmetal's site. Not a lot of applications, yet, mostly golf club heads. I was sent a PR Sample of their Liquidmetal...Amazing molding fidelity, almost like an injection molded plastic. The presence of beryllium and nickel in some of their alloys at present precludes their use in biomed.
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Good allusion.
;-)
Not new. Google "metglass" and the commercial "Metglas" for more info. I doubt this will ever be less brittle, because that property is inherent with the extreme "disslocation" density that gives this material it's strength and magnetic properties to begin with.
$64 question: "Does it keep it's properties with time?"
I'm just waiting for them to discover transparent aluminum.
BTTT
Definitely sounds like Reardon metal ! Great story !
(now let's hope the damn Chi-Coms don't find out how to do this!)
Only if it doesn't violate the prime directive. Spock out.
Thanks for the ping!
It's been a while since I read A.S. but I recall thinking at the time that Reardon Metal sounded a lot like titanium.
brittle...thats the stopper.
It's adamantium! :)
brittle...thats the stopper
Cast iron is also brittle.
they have...
>
its called "saran wrap"
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