Transparent Aluminum!

[JavaDog]

About time we caught up with Star-Trek on this one!

The Air Force Research Laboratory's materials and manufacturing directorate is testing aluminum oxynitride -- ALONtm -- as a replacement for the traditional multi-layered glass transparencies now used in existing ground and air armored vehicles. ALONtm is a ceramic compound with a high compressive strength and durability. When polished, it is the premier transparent armor for use in armored vehicles, said. 1st Lt. Joseph La Monica, transparent armor sub-direction lead "The substance itself is light years ahead of glass," he said, adding that it offers "higher performance and lighter weight." Traditional transparent armor is thick layers of bonded glass. The new armor combines the transparent ALONtm piece as a strike plate, a middle section of glass and a polymer backing. Each layer is visibly thinner than the traditional layers.

Full article here: Air Force testing new transparent armor.

[jderou]

Its amazing how much star trek was right about. Flip phones for example. Who would have thought transparent aluminum was anything but funny?

[mxtras]

Neat stuff.

The story behind this that will never be published is how much you and I paid to have this material developed.

Scott

[JavaDog]

Originally Posted by mxtras Neat stuff. The story behind this that will never be published is how much you and I paid to have this material developed. Scott

Yeah, I can bet. Billions and Billions of dollars, no doubt.

I just want to know where I can get some!! Wonder if you can machine it?

[ger21]

Originally Posted by mxtras Neat stuff. The story behind this that will never be published is how much you and I paid to have this material developed. Scott

Did you notice it costs $10-$15/sq in vs $3 for the conventional glass they were using.

[greybeard]

Windows on space vehicles ? Micro-meteorite proof ?
Martian domes ?

John

[sbrpollock]

What Do You Mean "Billions and Billions"

It probably didn't cost us anything.

Scotty gave the formula away to that guy at that supply house when they traveled back in time!

See.....What this really proves is that there will be whales in the distant future.....Yup.....that's it.....the Enterprise saved the whales!

Oh.....That's so encouraging to know!

Gotta go.....time for my meds!

[WayneHill]

Originally Posted by sbrpollock ... Scotty gave the formula away to that guy at that supply house when they traveled back in time!...

The space ship that crashed in Roswell started the high tech silicon industry.

[jderou]

[QUOTE=sbrpollock]

See.....What this really proves is that there will be whales in the distant futureQUOTE]

And green martian women in Aluminum foil bikinis!

[h_2_o]

IIRC this stuff was originally designed by a plating company. The general idea has been around for a while and they have been publishing different uses for a couple years. I could be very wrong but i swear i read about this stuff in plating publications before.

[sendkeys]

"""A ceramic research lab in Dresden, Germany, has developed transparent Alumina by subjecting fine-grained (I'm guessing extremely fine-grained) aluminum to a whopping 1200 degrees Celsius ...the result of which is amazingly light but three times tougher than hardened steel of the same thickness, and it's see-through. """

2-25-02 (must have seen it befor) hehe
http://www.rense.com/general20/transparentalum.htm



I wonder if it's more transparent then it was 3 years ago

[Bob Savage]

I don't know anything about this, but somebody on another forum I use (a guitar amplifier forum, of all things), posted a reply to somebody that posted that information there:

This is nothing new and it isn't transparent metal, it's an oxy-nitride of aluminum, or ceramic. Think of it as similar to Sapphire. Our company works directly in this field and know most of the people involved. It has been around about 20 to 30 years with Coors and GE some of the originators. Raytheon holds patents on some of the current ALon materials being considered and has spun off a company to try and commercialize it. They have also licensed the technology to at least one other company. Ceramatec, ACR, Lockheed, Northrup and others are also involved in transparent materials. ALon is only one of the transparent varities that are being looked at which include many of the Spinels and YAG oxides. The biggest problem is overall cost due to to raw powder production and then consolidation technologies. To acheive transparency the materials must be near theoretical density otherwise porosity causes it to be opaque. It requires very high pressure and temperature consolidation and the equipment is very specialized. There are many other potential uses for ceramics that are coming but it is a slow process to win over markets as current materials suppliers like the titanium people don't want to lose their share either.