NYU Researchers Develop Rugged Composite Lighter Than Water
- Evan Milberg for Composites Manufacturing Magazine May 18th, 2015
- Source: http://compositesmanufacturingmagazine.com/2015/05/nyu-researchers-develop-rugged-composite-lighter-than-water/
A team of researchers from Deep Springs Technology (DST) and the NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering have developed the first lightweight metal matrix syntactic foam. The matrix composite, made with a magnesium alloy and silicon carbide hollow spheres, can float on water and withstand thousands of pounds of pressure per square inch without sinking. Each hollow sphere can handle the damage by acting as an energy absorber during a fracture.
The research also shows that the new material will improve automotive fuel economy due to its combination of weight and heat resistance.
