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Terraformer

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From: The Fortunate Isles

Registered: 2007-08-27

Posts: 3,906

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Re: Metallic Glass

This is an interesting article. The metallic glass could be used in a spacecraft hull to protect from meteroids. Once hit it would spring back to its original shape, unlike normal metals which would still be bent.

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Use what is abundant and build to last

cIclops

Member

Registered: 2005-06-16

Posts: 3,230

Re: Metallic Glass

This is an interesting article. The metallic glass could be used in a spacecraft hull to protect from meteroids. Once hit it would spring back to its original shape, unlike normal metals which would still be bent.

The article doesn't say the material can protect from projectiles like meteoroids, it does say it may be useful for projectiles. Meteoroids have velocities of 30 kms/sec or more - that's what makes them so dangerous - they make holes in spacecraft and have an enormous amount of kinetic energy. A self repairing material would be useful to seal the holes.

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SpaceNut

Administrator

From: New Hampshire

Registered: 2004-07-22

Posts: 29,433

Re: Metallic Glass

Aluminum oxynitride is a ceramic compound that is hoped to replace glass in military vehicles.
Military: New Aluminum Windows Stop .50-Caliber Bullet

Most often glass is a reference to a ceramic but then again to stop micrometeorites one would want to look at Zetix is a remarkable
Fabric Resists Bomb Blasts

Then other research epoxy-resinSelf-Healing Polymer Autonomous Material System

mjsimon

Banned

From: Lafayette, Indiana

Registered: 2008-01-07

Posts: 11

Re: Metallic Glass

Vaguely related:  I remember reading (but I can't remember where I read this, my apologies) that glasses manufactured in space would be far stronger than terrestrial glasses, because of the dryness of hard vacuum.  the water vapor in Earth's atmosphere creates imperfections in glass produced here, weakening it's structureal strength.

SpaceNut

Administrator

From: New Hampshire

Registered: 2004-07-22

Posts: 29,433

Re: Metallic Glass

Just searching for glass topics...
remebered a star trek movie where metal glass was created to make a tank for whales to save the day for earth....

RobertDyck

Moderator

From: Winnipeg, Canada

Registered: 2002-08-20

Posts: 7,936

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Re: Metallic Glass

Just searching for glass topics...
remembered a star trek movie where metal glass was created to make a tank for whales to save the day for earth....

That was "Star Trek IV: Save the Whales"... Actually Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.
The movie was made during initial work on ALON. I've posted about it before. It's actually a transparent aluminum oxide ceramic. The manufacturer...
Surmet

If you want more fiction, then the 2015 movie "Jurassic World" claimed their giant hamster balls were made of it.
Jurassic World: hamster ball scene

Last edited by RobertDyck (2016-03-25 21:29:18)