Re:Transparent Aluminum
by redthrowaway on Wednesday January 18, 2012 @02:52PM
(#3481523)
"Use the mouse."
Scotty picks up mouse, speaks to it
"Hello computer..."
From the comments, it seems not many people got the reference. That's a shame, as it means people are either not a fan of Star trek (blasphemy), or are not old enough to get the reference, which makes me feel antiquated.
Re:Transparent Aluminum
by twelvechairs on Wednesday January 18, 2012 @09:12AM
(#3479712)
Key sentence: "successfully resists a huge, powerful .50 AP bullet that smashes easily through more than twice that thickness of conventional laminated glass armor"
So in reality this is a modest improvement (2x) over existing laminated glass armour for use where both thickness and resistance are critical (ie. probably for specialist military applications only)
Re:Transparent Aluminum
by nickolai on Wednesday January 18, 2012 @09:14AM
(#3479728)
> So in reality this is a modest improvement (2x) over existing laminated glass armour
More than 2x actually - the guy behind the glass would be dead, unlike the one behind their improved glass. I'd say this is a significant difference - they deserve some extra credit for keeping the guy behind their armor alive.
I do find the title a little misleading though, since this has nothing to do with metallic aluminum as one would expect from reading the title.
Re:Transparent Aluminum
by jonhendry on Wednesday January 18, 2012 @12:46PM
(#3480850)
How do their weights compare?
If the new stuff is the same weight by volume as conventional laminated glass, then you'd have a 50% weight savings.
If the new stuff is thinner, and lighter, then it'd be useful for applications where the current glass is too thick and/or heavy.
Also, in applications like secure windows for bank tellers and such, something thinner would probably be better aesthetically. When you're dealing with someone behind a thick sheet of glass, it puts a different tone on the interaction.
Re:Transparent Aluminum
by aidenn0 on Wednesday January 18, 2012 @08:43PM
(#3482826)
Alon is ~3.7g/cc which is about twice what ordinary glass weighs. Not sure how it compares to laminated glass. They probably use a denser glass than I'm used to for armored glass, but it's layered with other, presumably less-dense material.
Re:Transparent Aluminum
by absconditus on Wednesday January 18, 2012 @02:20PM
(#3481359)
Without knowing the failure points of both products I am not sure how you can make such a claim. The glass failed in this demonstration and the ALON did not. Obviously the glass needs to be even thicker (making it a ridiculous solution in most cases) and the ALON might work even if it is thinner.
Re:Transparent Aluminum
by billswift on Wednesday January 18, 2012 @02:42PM
(#3481466)
"The material, aluminium oxynitride, known as AION, is four times harder than fused silica glass, 85 per cent as hard as sapphire and stable up to a temperature of 1,200C."
Re:Transparent Aluminum
by billswift on Wednesday January 18, 2012 @02:38PM
(#3481434)
Those sites that are completely blacked out, like makezine and Wikipedia, are doing exactly what many accuse DRM of doing. Annoying their users while producing no real benefit. Google's and HN's methods are better.
ADDED: Most of them don't particularly matter to me, I rarely use Wikipedia, for example. The one that has annoyed me is the Internet Archive blackout - www.archive.org
This material is not metallic transparent aluminum. It is a transparent aluminum ceramic.
A lot of ceramics are made (in part) of aluminum. I think that this is interesting because it's transparent.
I think it comes up in the same scene where Scotty is flustered because the 1980's computer doesn't respond to voice commands...
Scotty picks up mouse, speaks to it
"Hello computer..."
From the comments, it seems not many people got the reference. That's a shame, as it means people are either not a fan of Star trek (blasphemy), or are not old enough to get the reference, which makes me feel antiquated.
Which is, incidentally, a Mac Plus.
Maybe they can do a followup on transparent silicon next: this silicon dioxide stuff is super clear!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2088257/Star-...
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium_oxynitride
So in reality this is a modest improvement (2x) over existing laminated glass armour for use where both thickness and resistance are critical (ie. probably for specialist military applications only)
More than 2x actually - the guy behind the glass would be dead, unlike the one behind their improved glass. I'd say this is a significant difference - they deserve some extra credit for keeping the guy behind their armor alive.
I do find the title a little misleading though, since this has nothing to do with metallic aluminum as one would expect from reading the title.
I think what twelvechairs meant is that you have to buy (at least) twice as much of the old stuff to keep the guy alive.
If the new stuff is the same weight by volume as conventional laminated glass, then you'd have a 50% weight savings.
If the new stuff is thinner, and lighter, then it'd be useful for applications where the current glass is too thick and/or heavy.
Also, in applications like secure windows for bank tellers and such, something thinner would probably be better aesthetically. When you're dealing with someone behind a thick sheet of glass, it puts a different tone on the interaction.
Quote from the Daily Mail article linked above.
ADDED: Most of them don't particularly matter to me, I rarely use Wikipedia, for example. The one that has annoyed me is the Internet Archive blackout - www.archive.org
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/macbook-gun-shot-israel-sec...