Carbon Fiber's Days Are Numbered==Researchers create exceptionallystrong and lightweight new metal

On Saturday, December 26, 2015 at 11:36:22 AM UTC-5, AMuzi wrote:
On 12/26/2015 10:29 AM, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 12/26/2015 6:15 AM, John B. wrote:
On Sat, 26 Dec 2015 08:46:25 -0000 (UTC), Edmund

wrote:

On Fri, 25 Dec 2015 07:17:22 -0800, sms wrote:

"A team led by researchers from the UCLA Henry Samueli
School of
Engineering and Applied Science has created a
super-strong yet light
structural metal with extremely high specific strength
and modulus, or
stiffness-to-weight ratio. The new metal is composed of
magnesium
infused with a dense and even dispersal of ceramic
silicon carbide
nanoparticles. It could be used to make lighter
airplanes, spacecraft,
and cars, helping to improve fuel efficiency, as well as
in mobile
electronics and biomedical devices."

http://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnolo...wsid=42203.php


By next Christmas everyone will have donated their CF
bicycles to the
poor, and will be buying replacements made of this new
alloy.

I have seen something similar on TV over a decade ago,
unfortunately no
real world application anywhere..... So I wouldn't hold
my breath.

Edmund

Since magnesium burns I suppose that one will need to
carry a fire
extinguisher to be safe, and since magnesium is relatively
soft I
suppose that one will have to install yet more Riv-nuts
for the
extinguisher mount :-)

Like a lot of things, the fire hazard of magnesium is
greatly exaggerated. Pure magnesium burns brilliantly if
you use a match to light a thin ribbon of the stuff, in part
because there's not enough mass present to conduct the heat
away. Pure magnesium and some alloys can burn during
machining if their chips get hot enough. But many alloys
will self-extinguish, and large chunks conduct heat away
quickly enough that it's hard to get them close to their
ignition temperature.


I'm no expert but the account of a man who successfully
burned a Next computer magnesium case is interesting. It
was quite difficult to get going but spectacular once lit.

http://simson.net/hacks/cubefire.html

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

The panel is a square piece of metal, 14'' on each side, and roughly half an inch thick....


Sebring's Alfa fire is legendary

On Sat, 26 Dec 2015 11:29:18 -0500, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On 12/26/2015 6:15 AM, John B. wrote:
On Sat, 26 Dec 2015 08:46:25 -0000 (UTC), Edmund
wrote:

On Fri, 25 Dec 2015 07:17:22 -0800, sms wrote:

"A team led by researchers from the UCLA Henry Samueli School of
Engineering and Applied Science has created a super-strong yet light
structural metal with extremely high specific strength and modulus, or
stiffness-to-weight ratio. The new metal is composed of magnesium
infused with a dense and even dispersal of ceramic silicon carbide
nanoparticles. It could be used to make lighter airplanes, spacecraft,
and cars, helping to improve fuel efficiency, as well as in mobile
electronics and biomedical devices."

http://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnolo...wsid=42203.php

By next Christmas everyone will have donated their CF bicycles to the
poor, and will be buying replacements made of this new alloy.

I have seen something similar on TV over a decade ago, unfortunately no
real world application anywhere..... So I wouldn't hold my breath.

Edmund

Since magnesium burns I suppose that one will need to carry a fire
extinguisher to be safe, and since magnesium is relatively soft I
suppose that one will have to install yet more Riv-nuts for the
extinguisher mount :-)

Like a lot of things, the fire hazard of magnesium is greatly
exaggerated. Pure magnesium burns brilliantly if you use a match to
light a thin ribbon of the stuff, in part because there's not enough
mass present to conduct the heat away. Pure magnesium and some alloys
can burn during machining if their chips get hot enough. But many
alloys will self-extinguish, and large chunks conduct heat away quickly
enough that it's hard to get them close to their ignition temperature.

You can get some pretty good size chunks of magnesium to burn if you
use an acetylene torch to ignite them :-)

But you are ignoring SAFETY. After all if a plastic helmet is required
to ride a steel bike, why isn't a fire extinguisher required to ride
an inflammable bike :-)

--
cheers,

John B.