Could metallic glass yield lighter weight frames and components?
10-11-06, 10:25 AM
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Could metallic glass yield lighter weight frames and components?
I discovered this article which describes a remarkable material.
https://www.discover.com/issues/apr-0...metals/?page=1
The article is from 2004. Does anyone know anything about this material?
...
It is called metallic glass, or amorphous metal, and it appears to be nothing less than an entirely new class of material that can be used to build lighter, stronger versions of anything. “Everything from an Abrams tank to an F-16 jet to a bicycle can be made out of this, and because it is two to three times the strength of conventional alloys, you can halve the weight or more. That’s not evolutionary, it’s revolutionary,” says Johnson. “This is the structural material of the future.”
...
It is called metallic glass, or amorphous metal, and it appears to be nothing less than an entirely new class of material that can be used to build lighter, stronger versions of anything. “Everything from an Abrams tank to an F-16 jet to a bicycle can be made out of this, and because it is two to three times the strength of conventional alloys, you can halve the weight or more. That’s not evolutionary, it’s revolutionary,” says Johnson. “This is the structural material of the future.”
...
The article is from 2004. Does anyone know anything about this material?
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10-11-06, 10:36 AM
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That's really cool. Carbon Fibre just became the new aluminum. 
10-11-06, 10:43 AM
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It could.... but it is too brittle at this point. Any flex and it shatters. This is obviously a point of research right now... how to get the material to withstand flex. I'd say in another 10 years or so.... it might have applications.
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10-11-06, 10:48 AM
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That would be awesome.....bombing down a hill at like 40 mph, and your entire frame just shatters and disintegrates beneath you.
"Holy ****, did you see Roy? His bike just.....blew up. Nothing left but a set of wheels, a bunch of components, and Roy laying on the ground."
"Holy ****, did you see Roy? His bike just.....blew up. Nothing left but a set of wheels, a bunch of components, and Roy laying on the ground."
10-11-06, 11:01 AM
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Isn't that what carbon does now? I mean, once you leave it out in the sun for too long. 
10-11-06, 11:23 AM
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transparent_aluminum
Star Trek fans have known about this for a while now...
Star Trek fans have known about this for a while now...
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10-11-06, 11:26 AM
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Originally Posted by GuitarWizard
That would be awesome.....bombing down a hill at like 40 mph, and your entire frame just shatters and disintegrates beneath you.
"Holy ****, did you see Roy? His bike just.....blew up. Nothing left but a set of wheels, a bunch of components, and Roy laying on the ground."
"Holy ****, did you see Roy? His bike just.....blew up. Nothing left but a set of wheels, a bunch of components, and Roy laying on the ground."
thanks for that!
10-11-06, 12:02 PM
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Sounds promising! If you read the entire article, they're discussing different versions of the stuff. The 1st-generation Vitreloy stuff was the one with the shattering failure-mode, but requires twice the load of titanium. The later stuff Liquidmetal2 seems to be very promising. At $15/lb, it's only 1/2 the price of what titanium costs in the '90s. Accounting for inflation, it's only 1/4th the cost of '90s titanium. Two rim-hoops would only cost $15 and be so much stronger than the aluminium we have now. Wow... imagine a rim that you can bang up on a kerb or ride through a pot-hole and it just flexes right back into its original shape.
Last edited by DannoXYZ; 10-12-06 at 12:32 AM.
10-11-06, 12:58 PM
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Isn't this what were trying to do with the nuclear waste from Hanford?
10-11-06, 01:18 PM
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The documentary on this was just on discovery last week, very interesting at how much harder the material was. They did the ball drop test on tv and pretty amazing to watch it keep bouncing for so long.
10-12-06, 12:30 AM
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Originally Posted by slowandsteady
Osmium alloy perhaps?
Working with graduate student Atakan Peker, Johnson zeroed in on an alloy with five elements: zirconium, titanium, nickel, copper, and beryllium.
10-12-06, 12:46 AM
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I have seen this before, and commented on it here on the forum. Liquid Titanium. It is currently being used for cell phones, etc.
There is an even better form of research going on for this material. They are currently working ways to utilize liquid metal as a substructure matrix for carbon nano-fiber. This would give you a material that is far stronger than existing carbon fiber composite, since it uses liquid Titanium instead of epoxy, yet even lighter than existing composite materials.
This kind of technology is just making its debut. Within ten years, bikes will easily weigh 10 pounds or less, if so desired.
There is an even better form of research going on for this material. They are currently working ways to utilize liquid metal as a substructure matrix for carbon nano-fiber. This would give you a material that is far stronger than existing carbon fiber composite, since it uses liquid Titanium instead of epoxy, yet even lighter than existing composite materials.
This kind of technology is just making its debut. Within ten years, bikes will easily weigh 10 pounds or less, if so desired.
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10-12-06, 12:48 AM
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Originally Posted by Patriot
This kind of technology is just making its debut. Within ten years, bikes will easily weigh 10 pounds or less, if so desired.
10-12-06, 12:52 AM
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Personally,
I'm still waiting for transparent Aluminum.
Imagine, a rolling lava lamp. Yeah Baby!!!
I'm still waiting for transparent Aluminum.
Imagine, a rolling lava lamp. Yeah Baby!!!
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10-12-06, 08:12 AM
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Better yet, in my opinion, is isotruss. Virtually corrosion-proof and stronger and lighter than any material currently out there. You can see a prototype bicycle at www.isotruss.org. Word is they can make a sub-2 lb mountain bike frame!
10-12-06, 11:36 AM
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They gave us the formulae in the article:
No I meant, how about an Osmium alloy? Very strong metal, pretty bluish silver in color and completely unaffected by air or water. Osmium on its own is fragile but incredibly hard, but when combined with other metals in an alloy it is no longer fragile yet still hard and unreactive.
10-12-06, 11:43 AM
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Originally Posted by Patriot
Personally,
I'm still waiting for transparent Aluminum.
Imagine, a rolling lava lamp. Yeah Baby!!!
I'm still waiting for transparent Aluminum.
Imagine, a rolling lava lamp. Yeah Baby!!!
https://www.surmet.com/docs/Product_sheet_ALON.pdf
10-12-06, 11:45 AM
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Originally Posted by Patriot
Personally,
I'm still waiting for transparent Aluminum.
Imagine, a rolling lava lamp. Yeah Baby!!!
I'm still waiting for transparent Aluminum.
Imagine, a rolling lava lamp. Yeah Baby!!!
10-12-06, 11:54 AM
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The "amorphous" part of the material's name has me a bit vexed. The inherent strength in most materials used in bikes (Ti, Fe, Al, C) is the fact that they can be manufactured producing some kind of fine structure that helps the material dissipate force in a manner that allows the material to flex in one way or another.
Amorphous materials generally lack such a grain and left to their own over large periods of time, deform considerably. (ever see really old glass windows)
But that said, a translucent bike would just kick ass
Amorphous materials generally lack such a grain and left to their own over large periods of time, deform considerably. (ever see really old glass windows)
But that said, a translucent bike would just kick ass
10-12-06, 12:01 PM
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Originally Posted by krazygluon
Amorphous materials generally lack such a grain and left to their own over large periods of time, deform considerably. (ever see really old glass windows)
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10-12-06, 12:01 PM
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Originally Posted by krazygluon
Amorphous materials generally lack such a grain and left to their own over large periods of time, deform considerably. (ever see really old glass windows)
https://www.glasslinks.com/newsinfo/physics.htm
