Metal foam

[Moontanman]

One of the strongest materials commonly available today in strength to weight is Styrofoam. Just a tiny amount of plastic when foamed will make a large volume of very strong Styrofoam. If metals could be foamed in the same way their uses would revolutionize building of almost everything. A thin metal foam about 1/4" thick could be used to make extremely strong car bodies or containers of any kind. A few pounds of metal could be foamed into I-beams and replace I-beams weighing tons. The possibilities are endless but the catch is they have to be made in zero gee. Metal foam could only be made in zero gee in anything other than tiny quantities. How many applications could be revolutionized by metal foam? Space craft construction is the first thing that comes to my mind. a space craft that is made of metal foam, maybe titanium foam, could be made as robust as a battleship but still be 1/100 the weight. Current space craft have to operate on the ragged edge of failure to save weight. A metal foam space craft would be as strong as it was light.

[JoeRoccoCassara]

One of the strongest materials commonly available today in strength to weight is Styrofoam. Just a tiny amount of plastic when foamed will make a large volume of very strong Styrofoam. If metals could be foamed in the same way their uses would revolutionize building of almost everything. A thin metal foam about 1/4" thick could be used to make extremely strong car bodies or containers of any kind. A few pounds of metal could be foamed into I-beams and replace I-beams weighing tons. The possibilities are endless but the catch is they have to be made in zero gee. Metal foam could only be made in zero gee in anything other than tiny quantities. How many applications could be revolutionized by metal foam? Space craft construction is the first thing that comes to my mind. a space craft that is made of metal foam, maybe titanium foam, could be made as robust as a battleship but still be 1/100 the weight. Current space craft have to operate on the ragged edge of failure to save weight. A metal foam space craft would be as strong as it was light.

 

1/100? So a 50 ton space craft would weigh a thousand pounds.

 

1/100th the weight is better than spider silk, much better!!!

 

A craft would move 100 times faster wouldn't it?

[Moontanman]

1/100? So a 50 ton space craft would weigh a thousand pounds.

 

1/100th the weight is better than spider silk, much better!!!

 

A craft would move 100 times faster wouldn't it?

 

I'm not sure about the ratio, all I have to go by is Styrofoam, it could be even better than that. A craft could conceivably accelerate much faster with the same amount of fuel so a faster speed would be possible. Imagine a piece of solid plastic I-Beam 2" thick. 12" wide and 12 feet long. How much would that weigh? hundreds of pounds easy, now imagine a piece of Styrofoam that size, just a few ounces. That's what the difference would be and metal is much stronger than plastic. a piece of plastic that size would bend under it's own weight, not a piece of metal.

[JoeRoccoCassara]

I'm not sure about the ratio, all I have to go by is Styrofoam, it could be even better than that. A craft could conceivably accelerate much faster with the same amount of fuel so a faster speed would be possible. Imagine a piece of solid plastic I-Beam 2" thick. 12" wide and 12 feet long. How much would that weigh? hundreds of pounds easy, now imagine a piece of Styrofoam that size, just a few ounces. That's what the difference would be and metal is much stronger than plastic. a piece of plastic that size would bend under it's own weight, not a piece of metal.

 

I figured out a way to manipulate the subatomic structure of an atom as opposed to the atomic structure of matter.

 

http://hypography.com/forums/watercooler/15914-holy-grail-nano-technology-assemble-structures-3.html, Here I explain moving subatomic particles into a shape using small explosions created by pulse charges that are fired at the particles by ultra small nano bots.

[Moontanman]

I figured out a way to manipulate the subatomic structure of an atom as opposed to the atomic structure of matter.

 

http://hypography.com/forums/watercooler/15914-holy-grail-nano-technology-assemble-structures-3.html, Here I explain moving subatomic particles into a shape using small explosions created by pulse charges that are fired at the particles by ultra small nano bots.

 

 

Atoms can only go together in certain ways Gardamorg, You just can't take an atom apart and put it back together any way you like, what nuclear pulses are you talking about? Nano bots cannot be made of energy. I am talking about a real process that could be done now, metal foam is easily done, taking atoms apart at the sub atomic level and rebuilding them is no supported by any hypothesis I know of. A nano bot could not be any smaller than several million atoms, that would be amazingly small. Things like quarks do not exist outside an atom and manipulating things like protons, neutrons, or quarks at the level you are talking about is beyond any conceivable technology.

[Moontanman]

Working with metal beams and struts that are light as balsa wood but as strong or stronger than solid metal. Such struts, beams along with carbon fibers could a make bridge or a building extremely large or tall and light with out sacrificing safety. Ships that could not sink because the ship it's self is lighter than water. A metal foam I-beam could be as strong as a regular I-beam but it would float. the possibilities in construction are mind boggling not to mention the saving in raw materials.

[JoeRoccoCassara]

Atoms can only go together in certain ways Gardamorg, You just can't take an atom apart and put it back together any way you like, what nuclear pulses are you talking about? Nano bots cannot be made of energy. I am talking about a real process that could be done now, metal foam is easily done, taking atoms apart at the sub atomic level and rebuilding them is no supported by any hypothesis I know of. A nano bot could not be any smaller than several million atoms, that would be amazingly small. Things like quarks do not exist outside an atom and manipulating things like protons, neutrons, or quarks at the level you are talking about is beyond any conceivable technology.

 

The nuclear pulse I refer to is a subatomic sized beam of electromagnetic charges that are unstable and explode after they've been created. The nuclear pulse charge can be made stable enough to last as long as needed to reach the subatomic particles after being fired toward them from the nano bot that is the size of several million atoms, which are as small as the larger nano bots can make them using matter.

[Moontanman]

Syntactic metal foams might be a better way to go, not as light but better properties.

 

Foams on the Cutting Edge

[Moontanman]

The nuclear pulse I refer to is a subatomic sized beam of electromagnetic charges that are unstable and explode after they've been created. The nuclear pulse charge can be made stable enough to last as long as needed to reach the subatomic particles after being fired toward them from the nano bot that is the size of several million atoms, which are as small as the larger nano bots can make them using matter.

 

Do you have any info on the subatomic sized electromagnetic charges? I have never heard of them.

[JoeRoccoCassara]

Do you have any info on the subatomic sized electromagnetic charges? I have never heard of them.

 

The only person who can give you any info on them is me, they are my theorized projectiles formed in a giga-atomic nano bot, created solely for this purpose.

 

I do not know how these unstable subatomic sized electromagnetic charges could be formed, but with research I could come up with a way.

 

You are welcome to help.

[freeztar]

The only person who can give you any info on them is me, they are my theorized projectiles formed in a giga-atomic nano bot, created solely for this purpose.

 

I do not know how these unstable subatomic sized electromagnetic charges could be formed, but with research I could come up with a way.

 

You are welcome to help.

 

If you'd like to discuss your unproven theories, I suggest you discuss them in the Strange Claims forum. This forum is for Engineering and Applied Sciences. As such, it's not a place for wild speculation. Please keep your discussions appropriate for the forum and thread in which you are posting.

[DFINITLYDISTRUBD]

One of the strongest materials commonly available today in strength to weight is Styrofoam. Just a tiny amount of plastic when foamed will make a large volume of very strong Styrofoam. If metals could be foamed in the same way their uses would revolutionize building of almost everything. A thin metal foam about 1/4" thick could be used to make extremely strong car bodies or containers of any kind. A few pounds of metal could be foamed into I-beams and replace I-beams weighing tons. The possibilities are endless but the catch is they have to be made in zero gee. Metal foam could only be made in zero gee in anything other than tiny quantities. How many applications could be revolutionized by metal foam? Space craft construction is the first thing that comes to my mind. a space craft that is made of metal foam, maybe titanium foam, could be made as robust as a battleship but still be 1/100 the weight. Current space craft have to operate on the ragged edge of failure to save weight. A metal foam space craft would be as strong as it was light.

Why? (see underlined text)

While likely not as strong a metal foam objects could be produced by the controlled injection of a noble gas into molten metal in a form of the desired final shape...or one could use two metals with different enough melting points and densities again with a noble gas barrier to prevent oxide formation (example- aluminum impregnated with hollow titanium spheres). I don't know...still sounds pretty cool.

[freeztar]

Did you read the article MTM referenced in his last post? If not, I highly recommend it. According to the article, injection is one of the main methods of producing foams on a commercial level. Yet, assembled metal foams can be much more effective. The current challenge seems to be making the metal foams at a nano level.

 

Check it out, it's a good read.

[DFINITLYDISTRUBD]

Did you read the article MTM referenced in his last post? If not, I highly recommend it. According to the article, injection is one of the main methods of producing foams on a commercial level. Yet, assembled metal foams can be much more effective. The current challenge seems to be making the metal foams at a nano level.

 

Check it out, it's a good read.

Very first thing I did before posting....and yes it was an interesting read...And no they don't mention making metal foam in either method I described...and there is a third method which I'm still trying to think of an adequate method of describing...My point was that there are means which don't require one to be in space to produce a foam from metal...

Moonman- The possibilities are endless but the catch is they have to be made in zero gee. Metal foam could only be made in zero gee

...It can be done right here on tera-firma using metals of different densities and or noble gases.

[Moontanman]

Making metal foam is much easier in zero gee because of convection of the gas in a gravity well, but I think i confused the idea of making metal alloys between dissimilar metals with making metal foams. Both of these things can be done in a gravity well but it's much easier to do in zero gee where the metals do not try to separate due to convection. Alloys, especially alloys of very dissimilar metals, can be made in zero gee that cannot be made as uniformly in a gravity well. things like metal foam I-beams and other extruded parts would be very difficult in a gravity well but relatively easy in zero gee. At least this is the take on it I get, I don't see large objects being made from metal foam or dissimilar alloys on the Earth but they would be easy in zero gee. The idea behind Styrofoam is to take a very weak substance and make it very strong and light by foaming it. Huge panels of Styrofoam can be made and they are very light and much stronger than a similar weight of non foamed plastic. My idea was that this principle could be used with metal to make metal foam objects and large construction pieces like I-beams and even entire craft. If you took titanium and foamed it into a mold the size and shape of a large space craft and hollowed out the interior you should have a very strong and light craft. I can see all the wiring and other parts being placed in the mold and the foam metal being pumped into the mold around all the small parts and wires and pipes. At the very least large sections of a space craft could be made like this.

[JoeRoccoCassara]

Making metal foam is much easier in zero gee because of convection of the gas in a gravity well, but I think i confused the idea of making metal alloys between dissimilar metals with making metal foams. Both of these things can be done in a gravity well but it's much easier to do in zero gee where the metals do not try to separate due to convection. Alloys, especially alloys of very dissimilar metals, can be made in zero gee that cannot be made as uniformly in a gravity well. things like metal foam I-beams and other extruded parts would be very difficult in a gravity well but relatively easy in zero gee. At least this is the take on it I get, I don't see large objects being made from metal foam or dissimilar alloys on the Earth but they would be easy in zero gee. The idea behind Styrofoam is to take a very weak substance and make it very strong and light by foaming it. Huge panels of Styrofoam can be made and they are very light and much stronger than a similar weight of non foamed plastic. My idea was that this principle could be used with metal to make metal foam objects and large construction pieces like I-beams and even entire craft. If you took titanium and foamed it into a mold the size and shape of a large space craft and hollowed out the interior you should have a very strong and light craft. I can see all the wiring and other parts being placed in the mold and the foam metal being pumped into the mold around all the small parts and wires and pipes. At the very least large sections of a space craft could be made like this.

 

The problem with this is metal foam's tensile strength decreases as it's density decreases, this was the main point CraigD made.

[Moontanman]

The problem with this is metal foam's tensile strength decreases as it's density decreases, this was the main point CraigD made.

 

Yes, but are we talking about tensile strength by weight or by volume? Is the tensile strength of 10" of metal foam better than 1" of solid metal or worse? If you have a 24" wide, 144" long piece of metal foam 10" thick what is it's strength in comparison to a piece of solid metal 1" thick 24" wide and 144" long?