NationStates Jolt Archive

Today, the scientists of West Moon have created a new type of metal. It is a supermetal. It's a glassy metal.
This metal can't be torn and it can't be cut. Not even with wire cutters.
A steel ball dropped onto a piece of the new metal bounced very high for a little over two minutes.
This metal is made of an alloy of zirconium, titanium, nickel, copper, and beryllium. The metal can bend but it can't crack nor can it be dented.
It behaves in similar manner to plastic. Except that it can't be burned.
We call it metallic glass (also known as amorphous metal).
Now we can build lighter and stronger versions of everything. Including pocket knives, M16s, fighter planes, cars. You name it.
It has three times the strenght of conventional alloys while being lighter than them.
You can shape it in the same manner as you would shape plastic.
By the process of injection molding.
It can be turned into a foam as well. You can't do this with other metals or metal alloys.
A sandwich made of two sheets of amorphous metal flanking amorphous foam would be strong, light, insulating, fireproof, bug proof, rust proof, sound proof, and very difficult to penetrate even with bunker busting bombs.
The new metal will cost $15 a pound (its rl cost).
We have already begun producing amorphous alloy ammunition for use in M16s AK 74s and other rifles.

Conventional metals dent, tear, and rust because of defects known as grain boundaries and dislocations, in which the crystals are pushed out of alignment and provide entry points for oxidation.
Amorphous metal has no crystal structure and therefore would not be affected by such imperfections. Instead it is springy, very strong, and corrosionproof.
The stuff is melted and then cooled to room temperature and solidifies in the same manner as glass, complete with a mirror finish.
The crystallization is orders of orders of magnitude slower than even glass.
This alloy is called Vitreloy and can lift up to 300,000 pounds. That's 125,000 more pounds than can be lifted by the world's strongest titanium alloy.

If it's so indestructible, how do you plan on molding it? And if it's meltable, then couldn't we just take a high-heat nuclear bomb to it to take it down?

Its called liquidmetal by Raysia, who coincidentally holds the NS patent. I wont mention the inherent problem with it though, because my criticisms have already damaged his product lineup enough(I was kinda responsible for the removal of his airships.....)

If it's so indestructible, how do you plan on molding it? And if it's meltable, then couldn't we just take a high-heat nuclear bomb to it to take it down?
Yes it would take a nuke.
the material itself is amorphous. and can be shaped in the same manner as plastic.

OOC: Damn double posts.

Its called liquidmetal by Raysia, who coincidentally holds the NS patent. I wont mention the inherent problem with it though, because my criticisms have already damaged his product lineup enough(I was kinda responsible for the removal of his airships.....)
OOC: I was under the impression that you couldn't claim patent on real world technology. If that is the case, Raysia would have to prove his is different from the real world one.

OOC: so it hardens into a metal?

IC: Cauthu Arn will stick to growing our stuff :)

*Falls over*

You're contradicting yourself! How do you shape it if you can't dent it, bend it, shatter it, break it, melt it, etc???!!! Amorphous means that it has no definite shape, too, so then it means you can bend it, dent it, etc...

You're definitly contradicting yourself.

Its called liquidmetal by Raysia, who coincidentally holds the NS patent. I wont mention the inherent problem with it though, because my criticisms have already damaged his product lineup enough(I was kinda responsible for the removal of his airships.....)
You might want to read the April 2004 issue of Discover magazine as I am doing. Haven't finished reading the article yet though so I don't know the full capabilities yet.

*Falls over*

You're contradicting yourself! How do you shape it if you can't dent it, bend it, shatter it, break it, melt it, etc???!!! Amorphous means that it has no definite shape, too, so then it means you can bend it, dent it, etc...

You're definitly contradicting yourself.
OOC: I will update when I finish reading the article but it has something to do with the distribution of atoms in the alloy.

Ah, but it's not indestructable. That would be called godmodding if it were indestructable. ^^

A powerful blast(high speed projectile hitting it) should be able to shatter it, and if not, then the force will transfer to inside the ship. if it has no flexibility, then getting hit just means more damage to the inside(sorry about repeating the same thing)

He didn't explain it all that well. Basically, normal metals are hardened into crystalline patterns, this is hardened randomly, meaning it behaves like a plastic or like glass. Basically you shape it just like you would a plastic, by pouring it into a mold.

(this tech has been around for a while now, I'm surprised it took Discover so long)

They don't tell you this, but the real problem comes in the fact that on a molecular level, it doesn't tend to spring back into shape, because it has no pattern to follow. Basically, prolonged stress on this alloy will cause it to lose its shape. Like glass, it is actually a very slow moving liquid. You can't make airplanes out of this without the frame eventually warping into new shapes. Also it can't support extreme weight for the same reason, it will eventually flow outward and smush. Unlike normal metals, when this is put under prolonged stress, it will always deform, whereas normal metals will deform only after a certain point.

Basically it is too flexible.

Ah, but it's not indestructable. That would be called godmodding if it were indestructable. ^^
You are correct. The Vitreloy version has a tendency to shatter just like glass.
That's why they invented liguidmetal2. This is composed 80% of amorphous metal and 20% of crystal metal.

He didn't explain it all that well. Basically, normal metals are hardened into crystalline patterns, this is hardened randomly, meaning it behaves like a plastic or like glass. Basically you shape it just like you would a plastic, by pouring it into a mold.

(this tech has been around for a while now, I'm surprised it took Discover so long)

They don't tell you this, but the real problem comes in the fact that on a molecular level, it doesn't tend to spring back into shape, because it has no pattern to follow. Basically, prolonged stress on this alloy will cause it to lose its shape. Like glass, it is actually a very slow moving liquid. You can't make airplanes out of this without the frame eventually warping into new shapes. Also it can't support extreme weight for the same reason, it will eventually flow outward and smush. Unlike normal metals, when this is put under prolonged stress, it will always deform, whereas normal metals will deform only after a certain point.

Basically it is too flexible.
liquid metal golf clubs have been on the market since 1998.
it is now used in boilers, oil well drill heads, and other industrial parts
over 40,000 liquid metal golf clubs have been sold
under severe stress, most material permanently deforms.
Using a club with typical titanium permanently creates a tiny dimple on the head which steals energy from the ball.
the new clubs however, flexes then springs all the way back.
There have been similar results from liquid metal tennis rackets
There are now contracts for artificial hips and knees, cell phone cases, PDAs, laptops, and nondulling surgical blades. Even razorblades for shavers are being made.

The military is using the alloy to make its new kinetic energy penetrator for use by attack jets and armored vehicles, fragmentation bombs,

And according to the article, the alloy does keep its shape once formed. Otherwise they would not be able to use it for all those applications.

I know all that, but those are all instances of acute stress, where the material performs for only a short while. If you built planes out of it, your wings would slowly warp backwards, if you made support beams from it, your roof would slowly sink.

It keeps its shape noticeably.......if youve ever seen really old windows, notice how they all look saggy and thicker towards the bottom, thats because they are in non-crystalline forms. After being pulled downward by gravity for a century, glass loses its shape. While liquid metal would take millenia for this to occur from gravity, stronger constant forces will do it much faster.

Don't build glass houses.