Glass: Not Just For Golf Clubs Anymore...

[snoopy369]

Originally posted by Mr Snuggles


blah blah blah, forest through the trees, blah blah blah

Yes, I was wrong about the timeframe because I had sources who had it wrong when I learned about the properties of glass.

The central point still stands, nonetheless.

Umm, not really... what is new is that they are developing other things to take advantage of this fact.

I definitely want to fly in a glass jet

[Asher]

It's too heavy, and all of the wiring would mean there's not much point.

[snoopy369]

You really didn't read the article, did you.

[Asher]

I read the same article yesterday from LiveScience.com.

What proof do you have that this would be lighter than the composites the aerospace industry uses now? Are you basing your opinion on the generic "strong yet light" comment? Aluminum is "strong yet light" and is still too heavy for airplanes now.

Or are you seriously thinking that the statement about Wonder woman's plane is scientific?

[Lorizael]

The truth is we know very little about Wonder Woman's plane because of its invisbility.

[DanS]

I guess the idea would be that an aluminum glass could be thinner and still handle the load and stresses. Also, it may help with fabrication.

Carbon composites aren't great for everything. Depending on the thermal characteristics for this metallic glass, I can see it used in rocketry and spaceflight. F.e., earth reentry with a titanium heat shield and cryogenic tankage for liquid hydrogen. X-33 is now on the scrapheap due in large part to carbon composite liquid hydrogen tankage problems, as just one example. Because of the pecularities in shape, the carbon composite tank was heavier than an aluminum replacement.

[snoopy369]

Originally posted by Mr Snuggles
I read the same article yesterday from LiveScience.com.

What proof do you have that this would be lighter than the composites the aerospace industry uses now? Are you basing your opinion on the generic "strong yet light" comment? Aluminum is "strong yet light" and is still too heavy for airplanes now.

Or are you seriously thinking that the statement about Wonder woman's plane is scientific?

Perhaps because the article suggests it is possible...

Preventing jetliner disasters

Knowing the structure formed by atoms as a glass cools represents a major breakthrough in the understanding of meta-stable materials and will allow further development of new strong yet light materials called metallic glasses, Royall said, which is already used to make some golf clubs.

This stuff is generally shiny black in color, not transparent, due to having a lot of free electrons (think of mercury in an old thermometer).

Metals normally crystallize when they cool, but stress builds up along the boundaries between crystals, which can lead to metal failure.

For example, the world's first jetliner, the British built De Havilland Comet, fell out of the sky due to metal failure.

When metals are be made to cool with the same internal structure as a glass and without crystal grain boundaries, they are less likely to fail, Royall said.

Metallic glasses could be suitable for a whole range of products beyond golf clubs that need to be flexible such as aircraft wings and engine parts, he said.

It's not that it's lighter, but that it will not be as vulnerable to stress fractures due to improperly cooled metal.

[Asher]

Of course the guy is going to say that, he went to the press to trumpet his latest achievement.

The real-world reaction from people who actually know something about this and have no motive to push the technology seems to be tepid at best. The aeronautical engineers at airliners.net, and my brother who is a grad student in mech. eng (but is actually studying fields related to race car development) also expresses doubt in its utility as an aircraft material. Additionally, and most importantly , from what little I know I don't think this is a replacement for various composites.

Not to mention a transparent wing would be very ugly. I'm not sure people realize how much cabling runs through there, not to mention looking at the fuel tanks is a bit disconcerting.

[Vanguard]

If this glassy amorphous steel is stronger than ordinary steel it is obviously going to be lighter for a given amount of strength.

And since certain high strength steels are already reasonably competitive with aluminium in strength to weight ratio, this new bulk process amorphous steel may be useful.

The real question, I guess, is "How easy is it to work with?".