Posted on 5/25/2016
A team of engineers from the University of California, San Diego (USCD) and the University of Southern California (USC) has developed and tested a material with the ability to withstand the highest impact, without deforming permanently. The new alloy could be used in a wide range of applications, from drill bits to body armor for soldiers, to meteor-resistant casings for satellites.
The material, SAM2X5-630, is an amorphous steel alloy, a subclass of steel alloys made of arrangements of atoms that deviate from steel’s classical crystal-like structure, in which iron atoms occupy specific locations. The researchers believe their work on the alloy is the first to investigate how amorphous steels respond to shock.
The material, SAM2X5-630, is an amorph...