RE-INVENTING THE WHEEL post by Andrew Corbin

Have you ever gone on road trip, and in the middle of nowhere you get a flat tire? Michelin has a solution for you. They have more or less re-invented what we know as the modern rubber tire. Michelin and companies like Resilient Technologies, LLC, have engineered a hybrid wheel tire. In fact, Michelin actually calls their invention the "Tweel." The practical use for this hybrid wheel is for situations when a flat tire is just not an option.

Our US armed forced use these new wheel designs on Humvee vehicles overseas in Iraq. This allows those vehicles to stay mobile and not leave our troops as sitting ducks. Michelin has said it will be another 10 years before their Tweels will be available on the market.














The basic design of one of these tires can be seen above. From the outside, the tires are the same as regular, inflated tires. However, once you start moving in on the design, the typical design is thrown out the window. After the rubber tread layer, there is a shear band that acts like the inner layer of a run flat tire. This band acts when there is a hole or a tear in the outer layer and fills the opening temporarily. Next in, is the first structural layer. This layer provides the elasticity and flex of the tire. Finally, there is the core of the tire that attaches to the axel of the vehicle.

This new design allows for a lot less waste of rubber in manufacturing tires and can also improve gas mileage. The reduction in weight of the tire full of air and metal rim or wheel, could save a significant proportion of the tire’s weight. Also, the core of the tire can be made from any material that can withstand the stresses and hazards of the environment the tire would act in. This allows for different models in different sizes to provide the right tire for the right job.

"Airless Tire Promises Grace Under Pressure for Soldiers." Scientific American. Web. 1 May 2012.

"Tweel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 1 May 2012.

GRAHAM HAWKEES AND UNDERWATER FLIGHT post by Virquan Harold

Hey bloggers! Have any of you guys heard of Graham Hawkes? Well, his subs are currently the holder of the deepest recorded dive of 36,000 feet. His submarines are actually like airplanes that can go underwater. The interesting thing about this is the MATERIAL! Their underwater vehicles actually are positively buoyant and they use propellers to dive. The buoyant forces want to push it back to the surface. If they would turn their propels off, they would float back up to the surface unlike traditional submarines that are immensely heavier than water. The Deep Flight Challenger was one of there most interesting subs because it was designed to go down the deepest trench in the world, the Mariana, and engineering the material for that was so key because of the immense pressure. Just think about 60,000 pounds of pressure pushing down on you; you would be flat as pancakes or even thinner. The actual hull was made out of a custom-designed carbon fiber and it is said that the pilot would not be subjected to any pressure difference when diving. Its interesting to wonder the process of designing the material and how they came up with the material to be used. If you want to check out more about Graham Hawkes and the Deep Flight Challenger go to www.deepflight.com. It is pretty cool website and it shows some of the different underwater vehicles his has built.

EASY TO REMOVE BANDAGES post by Elizabeth Sweeny

Researchers and scientists are currently manufacturing ways to make bandages easier to remove.  According to Penn State food scientists, a process that spins starch into fine strands could take the sting out of removing bandages, as well as produce less expensive and more environmentally-friendly toilet paper, napkins and other products. Bandages that are currently on the market are often painfully removed but starch bandages would degrade into glucose, a substance the body safely absorbs. "Starch is easily biodegradable, so bandages made from it would, over time, be absorbed by the body," said Kong. "So, you wouldn't have to remove them."  The article is posted below.  It is interesting to see how materials can better something as simple as taking off a bandage. There is so much more in store for the future of materials science.

 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120501100033.htm

Just For Fun – Interactive Post for the class - Flubber post by Elizabeth Sweeny

Flubber, gluep, glurch, or slime are common names referring to a rubbery polymer formed by cross linking of polyvinyl alcohol with a boron compound. Making flubber from polyvinyl-alcohol-based glues, such as Elmer's Glue, and borax can be done as an elementary science education experiment. The formation of a gel may be due to hydrogen bonding between boric acid hydroxyl groups and the diol groups in polyvinyl alcohol. Hydrogen bonding, as opposed to covalent bonding, would account for the physical properties of the gel.  Flubber is a non-Newtonian fluid that flows under low stresses, but breaks under higher stresses and pressures. This combination of fluid-like and solid-like properties makes it a Maxwell solid. Its behavior can also be described as being viscoplastic or gelatinous.  Flubber was a movie made about a fluke science experiment that created a very bouncy “slimy ball” that had a mind of its own. Flubber helps a struggling basketball team win the championship game because they can run fast and jump high.  I think it would be so neat if there really was a material that could do the things flubber could do!  What types of things would you want to do with a flubber material??

Nanotechnology Makes Paper Into Waterproof Super-Paper post by Harrison Pickett

I was searching the internet the other day and I was reading about nanotechnology and how its suppose to change the world around us. Thus, in doing so I came across this article  waterproof super-paper. This simple but extremely crucial invention could change everything to do with paper and even maybe the entire business world.
Despite moving toward a paper-free society, we still use paper fairly often in our daily lives. And to be honest, paper isn’t that great. It’s easily ruined by something as simple as a coffee spill and can spread disease by virtue of its tendency to transmit bacteria and other nasty things. But if we could apply new technology to the very old material, perhaps it could be revitalized. The Instituto Italiano di Tecnologia in Genoa, Italy has created a nanoparticle coating that could be applied to individual paper molecules to make paper antibacterial, waterproof, magnetic and even fluorescent.

The process works by creating an itty-bitty “shell” around each fiber of the paper. The new properties of the paper depend on which nanoparticles are used: silver for antibacterial and iron oxide for magnetic, for example. After the polymer is applied to the paper fibers, the paper continues to act like normal paper. You can write and print on it, fold it up, even recycle it just like always. The antibacterial paper could be an incredible advancement for food packaging, and other enhancements could help create more secure currency or protect important documents.

http://gajitz.com/nanotechnology-makes-paper-into-waterproof-super-paper/

LIQUID METAL BATTERY - A BLUEPRINT FOR INVENTING INVENTORS post by Monica Fikes

At TED 2012 Conference this past March Material Scientist and Engineer Donald Sadoway, a professor at MIT, gave a talk on the missing link to renewable energy. He argues the best way to solve current energy problems is to work together promoting innovation. As a way to provide an inexpensive and efficient alternative power source Sadoway and his team of students successfully created a liquid metal battery using some of earth’s abundant resources such as metals-liquid aluminum, and molten salt. His team is able to get metal from virgin ore at about 50 cents a pound. I found his philosophy on rethinking think big, think cheap and invent to the price point of the product’s market a inspiring. I heard it before, but his spin  had a unique flavor to it, making it seem new. One of Sadoway’s lines was, “If you want to make something dirt cheap, make it out of dirt.”

The basics of a battery = light metal on top of molten salt on top of a dense metal. The metals were chosen by density and earth abundance. He chose Magnesium for the top layer and antimony on the bottom layer. The metals blend to form an alloy. The process of the metals blending into and out of an alloy produces the current to power the battery.

Benefits of the liquid metal, silent, emissions free, designed to run at high temperatures , reduces cost by producing fewer but larger batteries. Watch to see how he ties everything together and also check out other TED Talks on the site!

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/donald_sadoway_the_missing_link_to_renewable_energy.html

KAKU AND STRING THEORY post by Yang Wang

Dr. Michio Kaku is one of my favorite scientists in the world. I admire his creation of string theory and most importantly, his imagination of how science affects us. The first time I know him is from a television show from which he tries to design a teleportation device. His humor and wisdom gives me a great impression.

In one of the videos from bigthink.com, he talks about the idea of strongest material known to man. It is made by nanotechnology. It is possible to create some extremely strong life-sustaining nanorobots.  This reminds me of the popular video game Crysis. The guy in it has a Nano Suit which can give him some unbelievable powers.

Nano technology is really cool. It is unbelievable how strong it can be even in such a tiny scale.

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zroyr-Q9f_o

About Michio Kaku: http://mkaku.org/home/?page_id=5

ADVANCED COMPOSITE MANUFACTURING post by Joey Gonzalez

I was watching The History Channel the other day and they showed a bit on the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. The main thing that struck me about it was how much cheaper the new F-35 is to manufacture than the F-22 Raptor even though the F-35 is nearly 40% composite. Yes, the F-22 is better in most performance aspects (has twice the payload, twice the maneuverability, and can control twice the battle space), however, the F-35 comes out on top when it comes to manufacturing and maintenance.

 The F-35's airframe makes heavy use of composite materials, with much work placed on reducing the cost of composite assemblies, which have traditionally been extremely expensive. But using the latest computer-aided design and manufacturing tools, the F-35 has been designed to be as cheap to manufacture as possible. For example, a previous cutting tool that was used to trim composites—a tool with PCD edges—would last for only 21 feet. After just this distance, the change in force from tool wear would cause delamination (a major failure mode in composite materials) to begin. The solution was a carbide tool in which the geometry directs cutting forces in a way that compresses the part’s layers together while they are being cut. The tool costs 1/3 the price of the previous tool, he says, but it routinely last for 100 feet before wear becomes a concern.

 The article below goes on about more ways Lockheed Martin rethought the manufacturing process. This is a great example of how bringing fresh perspective can yield drastic results.

 The History Channel episode à http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akIoLEDH-S8

Composites machining article à http://www.mmsonline.com/articles/composites-machining-for-the-f-35

NANOTECHNOLOGY AND DEVELOPING COUNTRIES post by Thomas Ponikowski

In well-developed countries, nanotechnology allowed for the development of nanomaterials from which we can benefit greatly. We can enjoy smaller and smarter materials and devices that use less and less natural resources. Some of the newest discoveries could, in a very near future, improve lives of millions of people who live in poverty and harsh conditions in Africa and Asia. For example, carbon nanotube and zinc oxide nanoparticle filters can purify and decontaminate water. Water-cleaning nano agents can clear-out algae from water surfaces and prevent their further growth. Nano sensors installed on farmland can detect the deficiency of water, fertilizers, and pesticides and apply them accordingly. Efficient solar cells can provide sufficient energy source.  Drinks fortified with nano food additives that help absorb vitamins in malnourished people can save many lives. Besides offering many benefits, nanomaterials became a big concern for developing countries too. Poor African and Asian countries are exporters of many raw materials, like cotton, rubber, platinum, and copper.  Development of new and less expensive nanomaterials will result in dramatically lower demand for natural rubber. Synthetic rubber and various nanofibers and aerogels are used more often to replace or enhance traditional rubber. Platinum, traditionally used in catalytic converters in exhaust pipes, batteries and fuel cells, and copper wires are replaced by carbon nanotubes.   Cotton is used less, as textile industry takes advantage more often of materials enhanced with nanofibers that make fabrics lighter, more durable, drying faster, and not fading. Developing countries face lower demand on their main export goods. Their mining industry and agriculture might suffer and this could add another difficulty to already struggling nations. Should the United States, Japan, and other nations leading in nanotechnology make an effort and involve the developing countries in their plans for research and development of nanomaterials in the future?  More information about the impact of nanotechnology on developing countries could be found at http://www.etcgroup.org/upload/publication/45/01/southcentre.commodities.pdf.

AEROGEL post by Challyn Bentson

The supercritical drying of liquid gels of alumina, chromia, tin oxide, or carbon creates a material called aerogel. It is sometimes called frozen smoke because of its transparency. It has an unbelievably large internal surface area. In the Guinness Book of World Records, this material was named both the lowest density solid and the best insulator. I discovered that the reason aerogel is such a good insulator is because it is composed almost completely of gas, which is a poor heat conductor. When I first started looking into this material, my initial thought was to implement it in the military as some kind of armor. However, I learned that despite its amazing heat resistance and strong structure, it is prone to shattering if too much pressure is applied. My next thought was to use this material to insulate houses. Aerogel provides 39 times more insulation than fiberglass insulation. It is more expensive than other house insulation, but it would allow people to save money on heating and cooling expenses. The only time the heat would need to be adjusted is when a door or window opens. I think this material is amazing, and if it’s production keeps advancing it may wind up insulating everyone’s home!

IS GLASS A LIQUID OR A SOLID? post by Colin Lorenz

In many old windows, the panes are thicker at the bottom of than they are at the top. People often claim this fact as evidence of glass being a liquid. If the glass is close to the glass-tranistion temperature the more it shifts but if it is further way the molecules will move slower and appear more solid. Not all antique glass observes the property of being thicker at the bottom. This is discussed in more detail in the link below.

 http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=fact-fiction-glass-liquid

METAL RUBBER post by Colin Lorenz

Metal rubber is a material that is flexible and described as being indestructible. It can be frozen, doused fuel, or heated and still retain many of its properties. This material was developed by NanoSonic, Inc in Blacksburg, Va. The link is below.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/2007/0409-metal_rubber.htm

THE PITCH DROP EXPERIMENT post by Colin Lorenz

The pitch drop experiment is one of the oldest ongoing physics experiments. This experiment was started in 1927 at the University of Queensland in Australia. This experiment was started by Professor Thomas Parnell. Pitch is a derivative of tar. It used to be used for waterproofing boats. The material looks very solid but it is actually fluid. It has a viscosity 100 billion times higher than water. Currently the ninth drop of the experiment is forming. The university’s website contains a webcam of the experiment. This link is provided below.

http://smp.uq.edu.au/content/pitch-drop-experiment

CERAMICS post by Tan Huynh

Many materials perform extraordinarily well for a specific task, but few have the ability to perform exceptionally well for many tasks. One such example of a material is ceramics. Traditionally, one might think of applications for ceramics that simply include containers like pots and bowls, but the versatility of this material goes far beyond that. One such use for ceramics includes construction material for buildings, such as brickwork. In fact, ceramics have been used in buildings for thousands of years by people such as the Egyptians and even the indigenous people of southwestern America. The type of ceramic material used in this situation is referred to as adobe. It is primarily used in areas of extremes, like deserts, where limited building materials are available. In addition, ceramics have high resistance to the conduction of thermal energy, which make them great internal environment regulators for the structures built in the areas of great temperature fluctuation. It is this same property of insulation that makes ceramics perfect for use in applications such as smelting, furnaces and other heat intensive operations. Also, ceramics are effective at withstanding sustaining compressive loads and are often used in foundations for buildings; an example of one common ceramic is concrete. This material can also endure high thermal energy created by the presence of friction which makes it excellent for devices like brakes and ball bearings where metal, which is more conductive of heat, is typically used.

Unfortunately, application of ceramics in these areas is less widespread because of the inherent brittleness within its crystalline structures. This means ceramics are unable to support severe shock loads without fracturing. Also, the production of ceramic parts in place of traditional metal parts, while often more task effective, often proves too expensive in comparison to its cheaper counterpart. This is because the process for creating ceramics is either complex, in the case of crystalline ceramics, or energy intensive, in the case of non-crystalline ceramics. Crystalline ceramics are made from mixture of dry materials, mainly minerals, and mixed with water. The ceramics product must be formed and allowed to dry slowly to prevent fracturing, which is time consuming. Still, though, the product is extremely brittle and must be cured, often in an oven named a kiln, to strengthen its crystalline structure. The other type of ceramic is non-crystalline ceramic. This type of material is formed by heating minerals to their melting point and forming them into a material also known as glass. Unfortunately, the minerals which give ceramics there high heat resistance make them difficult to melt to form these non-crystalline ceramics, which leads to greater energy consumption, and thus cost in production.

While it is true that metal is cheaper to produce than ceramics, ceramics still holds an edge, quite literally, over its competitor.  Although ceramics are indeed brittle, it is this same quality that makes them superior to metal when it comes to cutting applications. This is mainly due to the malleability of the two materials, which is the ability of a material to deform in shape. Most metals are quite malleable, which is good in manipulating them into required shapes, but bad in cutting applications. This is because as the cutting device is applied, the edge, or blade, will slowly deform and become dull after a short time when it is made of metal. Ceramic on the other hand, has almost no malleability and therefore will not dull.

Ceramic, despite its few drawbacks, proves to be quite the useful material. It is a sufficient building material because of its ability to insulate and support significant standing loads. Ceramic’s properties of insulation also prove useful in steady friction loads and heat intensive applications as well, and fair far better than metal. Also, their low malleability makes ceramics effective for cutting applications as well. It should also be noted that the properties of ceramics were also not lost to early humanity, and have been taken advantage of for thousands of years, and will be applied for thousands of years more.

METAMATERIASL FOR ACOUSTIC CLOAKING post by Nick Meligari

Since World War II, the world’s prominent superpowers have used Sonar technology to detect and track the whereabouts and locations of their enemies at sea. This technology uses sound waves emitted at specific frequencies (an increasingly widening range of frequencies in today’s systems) to detect structures that, when impacted by the signal, cause a sort of ‘rebound’ and send their own sonic waves echoing back to the sonar receiver. These ‘pings’ allow the Sonar-wielding vessel to gain a relatively clear idea about the location of the vessel being ‘pinged’ (an ability that has proved to be tactically advantageous in times of conflict).

The ability to decrease the ‘rebound’ amplitude, or sonic signature, of sound waves that a structure emits during this ‘pinging’ process has the potential to render a maritime opponent blind. This is due to the simple fact that the rebound signal received by the opponent’s sonar will not be interpreted as that of an enemy submersible or weapon, but instead, due to its significant reduction, as something much smaller or less significant, such as a sea creature or even acoustic noise. This is where research being done by a small group of engineers at an engineering consulting firm called Weidlinger Associates Inc. comes in- they hope to create a practical method of reducing this acoustic rebound signature.

Led by Dr. Jeffrey Cipolla, the project involves developing a method of signature reduction based on the use of what he calls ‘Pentamode’ Materials. These materials are nothing new; they’ve been around in R&D environments for over 10 years. It is the analytical methods and proprietary software that he and his team are applying to the design of these materials that are leading to the recent progress in the field. These Pentamode materials are unique in the fact that the localized stiffness and density of the material at specific points can be manipulated and changed with respect to the material properties at another point in the same material. Since material stiffness and material density are the two primary factors influencing the rate at which sound waves travel through a medium, they are critical properties to be able to manipulate if you are interested in controlling the path of the sonic waves.

By changing local stiffness and local density at specific points throughout the material, the team hopes to actually propagate and accelerate the sound waves passing through it- similar to how water propagates sound waves. By accelerating the waves through the medium, it will eliminate the usual reduction in wave velocity that occurs when the sound waves transition from a liquid medium (seawater) to a solid one (the structure of a submersible/weapon, etc.). By eliminating the reduction in wave velocity that occurs at this boundary you, in practice, eliminate (or at least significantly reduce the intensity of) the rebound signature that is then perceived and interpreted by the opponent vehicle’s Sonar system. Think traffic jam- when it clears up, the constant acceleration of the pack of cars keeps everyone’s foot off the brake, so any slight changes in acceleration magnitude are harder to track as they echo down the line. Before the jam clears up however, while the roadway is still constricted, every time a brake is applied by one of the cars the resulting start and stop can be witnessed reverberating and echoing down the road, right to the last car. So that last driver, though experiencing a temporally distorted version of the events taking place, knows that someone stepped on the breaks all the way up front.

The first thing that comes to mind is to apply these methods to common acoustical engineering problems like noise reduction in cars and aircraft as well as naval vessels and military vehicles. The Pentamode materials that Dr. Cipolla talks about using in his research are made of aluminum, so the stiffness and weight makes it well-suited for these kinds of mobile applications. Concert halls and auditoriums could benefit from the ability to redirect and manipulate sound impacting the structure as well. Cool!

For more info on the development of these metamaterials, check out Dr. Cipolla’s paper on the matter: http://asadl.org/jasa/resource/1/jasman/v128/i4/p2375_s3?bypassSSO=1

DUST AND FOG-FREE GLASS post by Andrew Lipovsky

http://www.mit.edu/newsoffice/2012/glare-dust-and-fog-free-glass-0426.html

Researchers at MIT are working on a nano scale surface that lets water seemingly bounce off. The picture of the cones used to accomplish this is somewhat mind blowing to me. Not only the fact that we have the technology to design something that minuscule, but that we can design things in nano scale that have predictable effects at a usable scale.

NON-NEWTONIAN FLUIDS A SOLUTION TO POTHOLES? post by Andrew Lipovsky

link: 

http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2012/04/silly-putty-for-potholes.html?ref=hp

Undergraduates at Case Western University recently competed in a material science engineering project to solve a common problem using material science. Non-Newtonian fluids have different viscous properties depending on the forces acting on them, one example being corn starch mixed with water. This allows the fluid to flow into a pothole and fill it completely, while also acting like a solid when a car passes over it.

MORE ON LIVING BUILDINGS OF THE FUTURE post by Dana Krell

Last week, a few girls presents an ethics debate about ‘Living Architecture’ where researchers were trying to create protocells which can be used to form buildings from a ‘bottom up’ approach.  In their presentation they talked about Dr. Rachel Armstrong, senior TED fellow and co-director of Avatar, and how their  research group was exploring the potential of advanced technologies in architecture.  I had never heard about this technology before their presentation.  One student in our class recognized that the video was a few years outdated and asked the presenters if they had any more recent information on this study.  I found this topic very interesting so I decided to see if I could find any updates on the research.

I did find that Rachel Armstrong’s book Living Architecture: How Synthetic Biology Can Remake Our Cities and Reshape Our Lives was released on Tuesday, February 7^th of this year.  Her book displays her opinion in this architecture research.  She argues, “that in order to achieve sustainable development of the built environment—and help countries like Japan recover from natural disasters—we need to start building architecture that grows itself”.   In her book, she demonstrates a variety  of ways to make structures and materials.  She believes that “we can ‘grow’ more ecologically compatible buildings by using life-like technologies and that the result is a new kind of architectural practice where cities behave more like an ecosystems than machines”.

I know one of the many concerns of these technology was, ‘how will it stop’?  I know I had this idea that it was only a matter of time that the limestone shell would build up and the city would be consumed with limestone much like a science fiction movie.  This will not happen, however, because the protocells are only going to be alive, not actually responsive.  Other than the fear of limestone consuming the city, this is actually a valid prospect for cleaning up our air.  This field of study is called “synthetic biology”.  Synthetic biology is the idea of trying to stimulate life with chemicals.  Dr. Rachel Armstrong, in particular, works with chemicals that have been manipulated to act like organic microorganisms, only better – they’d be able to do things that actual microorganisms can’t do.

How this would work more specifically:

“It turns out that, minus sensationalist images about monstrous sentient buildings taking over human civilization, The example above – these protocells mixed with paint – is a realistic option for our cities. The protocells would essentially react with CO2 in the air, the same way that iron interacts with water to form rust, and the result would be a sort of limestone shell that would coat the building. The limestone coat will initially take anywhere upwards of a year to form, depending on how much CO2 is in the air, and it will grow in thickness.

Ultimately, Armstrong hopes to make protocells which can replenish themselves and “will be considered alive”. In addition to reducing a city’s carbon impact, the limestone will help shore up buildings by patching minute cracks in their walls, serve as a form of insulation, and even keep out pests and critters like bergen county bed bugs.

Unfortunately for home owners looking to go greener, it’s not as simple as if running out and purchasing some home solar panels. While the technology is proving sound in the lab, it isn’t being manufactured on an industrial scale – yet. Armstrong, though she is under a nondisclosure agreement, mentioned that a paint manufacturer in the UK is “looking into” her technology. Hopefully they look into it really seriously – this is an awesome real-life use of sci-fi technology.”

PLASTIC PISTOL post by Ian Tsao

I recently submitted my term paper on the material diversity of the GLOCK handgun?s frame and slide. Unlike most handguns, whose frames are made of steel, the GLOCK utilizes a Nylon 6 based polymer material, giving the frame a plastic look and earning GLOCK the unfortunate and erroneous nickname of the ?plastic pistol?.  Despite what critics believe, the GLOCK?s frame is significantly more resilient to the elements and blunt force trauma than a traditional steel frame, given its high compressive strength and inability to rust or corrode.  With this in mind, do you believe it would be possible to develop a ?plastic pistol? or, to be more specific, a pistol whose external and internal mechanisms were based completely off non- metallic materials? What materials do you think could withstand the impulsive recoil of the ignited gun powder and speed of the moving projectile?

FUTURE HIGH-IMPACT MATERIAL - D30 post by Brian Magley

Hey everyone, I was wondering if any of you have heard of a material D30? It is a revolutionary new material that can protect you from extremely high impacts but can be shaped and formed in any way imaginable. This new material is soft and pliable but can protect you from pretty much any impact due to its intelligent molecules. D30 is all based on speed. In your hand, you can bend, compress, and deform it very easily if done semi slowly. However if you punch it or hit it, in less than a 1000th of a second, it can harden and protect you from the impact. I heard about this from my friend because he does a lot of skiing and it is going to be the next big thing since it can easily be fitted in a skiers clothing and protect him when he falls. However, this material can potentially protect a person in any situation. D30 could be applied anywhere from cars to sports to the military. It is kind of hard to explain in a blog setting but this video shows how this material works. Let me know what you guys think about this. 

Whether you’ve heard of it, have any cool ideas of how it could be applied in other areas, or if you have any more information to add. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5_n6bOuXkY&feature=fvwrel

THE FUTURE OF BODY ARMOR post by Matthew Ocheltree

The body armor systems used today by both law enforcement and the military are bulky and cumbersome systems that have relied on the same technology since the 1980s. The two main components of body armor are the ballistic vest itself and trauma plates.

The vest, itself is lined with various types of fabrics in various weaves in layers to spread the impact energy over a larger surface area and increase the time of the impulse (I = F * t).  The most popular fabric is Kevlar 29, a polymer aramid fiber developed by DuPont and used in high strength applications. Other materials include Dyneema, Gold Flex, Spectra and the infamous Dragon Skin. These materials in application can generally stop up to a pistol round successfully.

The ceramic plates are used as an additional layer of protection added in as a layer of the vest to protect from high energy rifle rounds. These plates are composed of either a ceramic (boron carbide or silicon carbide ceramic) with a spall protection liner on the back.

These two systems combined can prevent serious injuries from most common small arms and rifle cartridges in the world today. The issue is that these systems are extremely heavy and currently require tradeoffs between a higher level of protection and weight and flexibility. Modern ceramic plates themselves weigh anywhere from 3 to 7 pounds each (Small to Extra Large). With a full set of plates and a vest, the user will be carrying about 30 pounds of weight in addition to what else is required to safely work.

Body armor coverage is also an issue. Standard ballistic plates used for the US Army provide around a 10”x12” area of protection for the front and rear and 6”x8”. This means that any sort of round directed in any other area that is more powerful than the fabric will penetrate the armor. While attachments exist for the groin, shoulders and neck on military grade vests, these can only provide the level of protection that the fabric can.

Another issue is being bulletproof versus stab-proof. The initial viewing of this argument may lead to the assumption that if it’s bulletproof that it must be stab proof. This is not the case because of the weave of the fabric used. As seen in the following video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYIWfn2Jz2g&feature=related) the Kevlar weave “windows” and allows the improvised blade to penetrate with little resistance. The solution to this is shown is a sheer thickening fluid, and when applied as seen in the video drastically changes the way that the Kevlar interacts with the point.

This type of materials development can potentially lead to lighter, more flexible and more protective body armor for the future.

MATCH BALL VS. PRACTICE BALL: WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE? post by Mike Barlow

Now most of you reading this blog won’t know the first thing about rugby, but I’m sure a lot of you at least know it is played with a ball. Rugby balls are similar in shape to footballs, except they are larger, more rounded on the ends, and more lightweight. They have a 4 panel rubber exterior with a latex air reservoir to inflate the ball. Over my years as a player, I have bought balls to practice with and have always found two main price breaks: practice balls (approx. $30) and match balls (approx. $150 and up). They are both the same dimensions and look very similar. I had always been curious as to what caused the major price difference.

After some research, I found a few key differences between the two that account for the major difference in cost. One of these differences is the balance of natural rubber to synthetic rubber. Match balls are made with a higher percentage of natural rubber since it has excellent gripping properties and allows much better power transfer through the ball. This guarantees during a match that players will have an easier time catching and kickers will have incredibly consistent strikes of the ball. While natural rubber is a much better playing material, it is less durable then synthetic rubber. Practice balls consist of a higher percentage of synthetic rubber, making them ideal for frequent, longer term use. Another primary difference in the types of balls is the grip patterns. Most training balls have grip patterns with a pimple pattern that will have greater durability over a season. Match balls on the other hand have highly researched grip patterns that allow for the greatest grip and pass control. However, these balls usually have much smaller pimples on the surface that wear down after repeated use.

While match balls sound like the greatest option to play a game with, both ball types serve their distinct purpose. Practice balls are optimal for recreation and training scenarios since it causes players to hone their ball handling skills. When it comes to game time though, most squads will use a match ball to have the greatest possible tool to perform at their best.
Information found here: http://www.rugbyfootballhistory.com/ball.htm

ARE MATERIALS CHANGING SPORTS FOR THE BETTER OR FOR WORSE? post by Walker Detweiler

With all the modern advancements in material technology, the sports that your parents used to play back in the 60’s or 70’s have evolved tremendously, especially within the past 20 or so years.  I am a goalie for the club ice hockey team here at Tech and I can’t even begin to tell you about all the radical changes in equipment technology that I have seen over the course of my playing career (about 15 years). 

Hockey is not the only sport to be affected by this type of change.  My father is a great golfer and I have played the sport on and off for most of my life.  Golf clubs have been produced in all shapes and sizes, and in all different materials.  Back in the day, all clubs used to be wooden, until the first steel-shafted clubs were developed.  Even then, the heads of the golf clubs remained wooden.  It wasn’t until about the 80’s that they started making clubs entirely from new composite, fiber-reinforced materials. 

Golf club technology today is astounding.  Designers use computer-aided programs and automated manufacturing techniques to build the clubs.  One of the more recent advances in driver technology is the addition of adjustable weights to the head of the club.  This allows the golfer to easy add or remove weight to the club, according to how said golfer prefers his or her ball trajectory.  My dad tells me it is nearly impossible to find a new driver nowadays that doesn’t feature the adjustable weight system.

Even the golf ball has seen some drastic changes over the years.  It too used to be produced completely from wood.  Today, golf balls are comprised of a gel or liquid solid core, rubber thread windings, and a hard plastic exoskeleton.  The plastic cover features a dimple pattern to add to the flight performance.

Hockey sticks have gone through a similar development pattern as golf clubs; hardwoods and laminate wood used to be the go-to for every stick design.  Now, players are using composite sticks made from carbon fiber and fiberglass, and are launching pucks faster than ever.  These sticks are designed to “flex” when a shot is taken so the torque on the blade shoots the puck at higher velocities.  These sticks are much more lightweight as well; however, some professionals will snap/wear out up to 3 or 4 sticks a game!

Although these are only a few examples, it shows that, in most sports, equipment technology has really changed the face of these games.  Golfer’s are hitting the ball farther than ever and are dialing in their hooks and slices with the new adjustable weight club systems.  Hockey players are ripping shots at ridiculously high speeds (trust me, I have to stand in the way of them).

My question is, have all these new technologies spoiled the traditions of these sports that people have come to know and love?  In my opinion, I think not.  With all the new gear that hockey players have in their inventory, the speed of the game has increased tenfold.  The skating and shots are faster, the hits are harder, and all in all it provides for a very exciting game.  For golf, some could argue that they are just making the game easier and easier to play with all these new club designs and technologies.  I believe they only make golf even more fun to play (and watch).  Professionals are bombing the ball 330+ yards off the tee box, and dialing in iron approaches from 250 yards away!

Although these sports have changed over the years, I believe it is just the natural evolution of the sports.  As long as restrictions are in place to maintain the dexterity of them, I thoroughly enjoy seeing new equipment designs that revolutionize these games.  I would much rather play and/or watch the newer, up-tempo versions of these sports, and I think most people would agree.

THE SKY IS THE LIMIT post by Jimmy Brewbaker

It is no secret that in the world of today, finding new ways to improve products is key to staying ahead of the competition and prospering as a business. The aviation industry is no exception and with the ever increasing demand for swift, safe travel, innovative use of materials in new airplane designs could mean differences of billions of dollars for companies like Boeing and Airbus. Companies such as these are using polymer composite materials to replace metals such as titanium and aluminum in their designs. Finding places where polymer composites can serve the same purpose as metal with equal effectiveness means a lighter airplane and therefore, greater fuel efficiency. Airlines that have to pay extraordinary amounts of money on fuel every year for their planes value fuel efficiency, especially if the safety is not compromised. Because shape and aerodynamics have been nearly perfected over time, material composition is one of the final design changes able to be made in an airplane. Boeing and Airbus, the two aviation juggernauts of today, are hard pressed to stay ahead of each other’s designs in order to make money in a tough economy. Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner managed to replace half of the titanium and aluminum used in Boeing’s design with polymer composites. This resulted in the airplane using 20% less fuel while not decreasing the size of the tank. This is invaluable to airlines as  they not only save money on fuel costs but also save time filling up the planes as it takes longer to run out of fuel. Furthermore, airlines can practically buy a public relations boost by using a 787 as the lower fuel consumption is a great way for companies to go green. The 787 has just scratched the surface, however, of composite material use in airplanes. Experts predict that the 787 is just the beginning of a new generation of aviation. There is still endless room for research and greater development of composite polymers to use in airplanes. These polymer composite materials could determine not only the future of aviation, but the future of companies like Boeing and Airbus worldwide.

NOW THAT IS A TELESCOPE post by Daniel Trowler

A project that was conceived well over a decade ago in 1998 has gotten the go ahead from the U.S. department of Energy. A giant 3.2 billion pixel telescope is what scientists have in mind that will continuously take picture of our universe for 10 years. Over the ten year span this super camera will create a sort of time lapse picture show that will provide scientists will almost limitless knowledge of the universe. This project is still in its first stages and since it has the go ahead scientist will begin with the designs.

Ideally the telescope will gather 6 million gigabytes of data a year and some of its main aims are to inform us about dark energy, dark matter, and the Kuiper belt which is where Pluto resides. You might also call it a doomsday prevention device as it will be used to track asteroids and other harmful space entities that are close to earth.

The most interesting thing about this project is that the data will be public so anyone will be able to log in online and view the pictures. The location of the telescope will be on top of the Cerro Pachon mountain in Northern Chile and will begin being construction in 2014.

http://www.space.com/15447-3-2-billion-pixel-camera-telescope-critical.html

THE CUTEST LITTLE PUMPS YOU EVER DID SEE post by Joe Barlow

While working on a project to create a micro hydraulic system, I had the need to purchase a micro pump.  In my search, I can across TCS Micro, Ltd.  This company in the United Kingdom is working to create some of the smallest mass-produced pumps in the world.  The smallest pump they make weighs in a mere 10 grams and a size of 24x10x10 millimeters.  The flow of the pump is very impressive for its small size at a max of 700 milliliters per minute.

These little devices are made of precision CNC machined aluminum alloy with stainless steel connectors.  While the materials are not very expensive themselves, the fine degree to which these accurate devices must be formed drives the cost up significantly. 

TCS Micro is continuing to release a new pump every couple of months as they develop new and more efficient methods of manufacturing them.  These pumps can be found at the website below.

http://www.micropumps.co.uk/

LIQUID METAL LAPTOPS post by Derek Jones

A lot of laptops are housed in one of two materials: aluminum or plastic.  The first housing being heavier yet easily scratched while the other more easily shattered.  However, there is a new technology called liquidmetal.  It is harder on the Vickers hardness scale than stainless steel, yet has a higher strength to weight ratio than aluminum.  So what is holding manufacturers back from producing more laptops with this technology?  It is much harder to get wifi and Bluetooth transmissions to pass through the liquidmetal than other materials.  

Here is my question, would you compromise on wifi strength or signal to improve the durability of your laptop?  If you want more information on the performance look no further than http://www.liquidmetal.com/technology/properties-comparison/

IS GRAPHENE A MIRACLE MATERIAL? post by Mannat Chhatwal

Being engineering students, I am sure we all look forward to new materials being discovered. No matter how small electronic devices get, they still generate a lot of heat. These hot spots are created by the activity of wires and micro-chips. Heating, often, leads to damage. To deal with this damage, a new material has been discovered called Graphene. Derived from graphite, graphene is a thin layer of carbon atoms connected within a honeycomb crystal lattice. It is most easily visualized as an atomic-scale chicken wire made of carbon atoms and their bonds. The crystalline or "flake" form of graphite consists of many graphene sheets stacked together. Physicists from University of California, Riverside found that layering a few graphene sheets on top of each other retains remarkable heat transferring properties. The additional levels decreased overall conductivity compared to the single-atom film. The combination of silicon and graphene could work well together within a microchip. It would retain heat and reduce damages caused due to excessive heating. Some possible applications for graphine?s thermal abilities include transparent electrodes in solar cells, heat spreaders within computer chips, and super-fast transistors for radio frequency communications. 

[Is Graphene a miracle material? BY Alex Hudson, BBC NEWS]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/9491789.stm

A POTENTIALLY CHEAPER ALTERNATIVE TO CAR DENT REPAIR post by Luis Seminario

Nobody likes it when their car is hit by another car or foreign object that results in a dent. Some dents are minor and can be easily popped back out, but others are serious and require expensive replacements or shop work. Last year someone backed into my car in my apartment complex parking lot and left a huge dent around my license plate area. I tried popping the dent out but there was damage done to the car’s body that would require more than brute force to fix.

I remembered that in class we saw a few samples of shape-memory alloys, which return to their cold-forged shape when heated up. I was wondering if it would be possible to use these metals in vehicle bodies in areas that are statistically prone to dents, such as bumper corners or doors. These could perhaps be layered along the inside of a car’s body along locations prone to dents. If a dent were to occur in one of these areas, then the dent could perhaps be fixed by heating the layer of memory shape alloy, which would in turn pop out the dent on the vehicle. This is obviously a wild idea that came out of the depths of my mind, but do you guys think this could actually work? I know the samples we saw in class were small wires, but could strips or sheets of shape-memory alloys be created? Would they be strong enough to pop out dents on vehicle bodies?

THE ETHICS OF INNOVATION THROUGH COMMERCIALIZATION post by Teresa Stewart

Here in the United States, developing a new product takes time.  We spend time testing the product to ensure the product's materials do not fail or cause harm to the consumer.  We also do marketing research to make sure the product is in demand.

In other countries, such as China, they Innovate through Commercialization.  This means their main goal is to get the new product to market as quickly as possible and have the consumer, you and I, be the guinea pigs for testing purposes.  In countries with this form of innovation, they expect up front to have many prototypes of their product based upon consumer reaction to the product and material/safety issues found by the consumer.  I'm assuming innovation through commercialization is the culprit behind a few of the problems China has had with their products such as the tainted pet food, tainted baby formula and lead paint used on toys.

Is it ethical for a company to put a product on the market without doing safety testing?  Would we want to drive a car that's had no testing for the quality of the materials of which it's comprised?  On the other hand, do we have the right to tell foreign countries how to do their innovation?  Do we need to accept the mindset and culture of other countries?  We may not be able to change things, but we can avoid buying products which have no quality/safety testing prior to going to market.

To read further about Innovation through Commercialization, go to http://chinabizgov.blogspot.com/2012/02/gms-kevin-wale-on-innovation-in-china.html to read an article by Glenn Leibowitz and Erik Roth in the February 2012 issue of McKinsey Quarterly.

INNOVATIVE BIOMEDICAL MATERIALS post by Matthew Bostaph

http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2012/02/for-cutting-edge-biomedical-materials-try-corn/

Biomedical engineers have been experimenting with new innovative materials composed mostly of corn. Students in the undergraduate teaching labs at SEAS are investigating plant-based materials that may help regrow damaged neurons. This technology may produce things such as corn-based glue that can heal an injured eyeball. I know that there was much debate in class about using living animals for medical advancements and was wondering what the class's thoughts were on this article.

CARBON NANOTUBE STRUCTURES post by Ethan Randall

I came across this video while researching Carbon Nano structures for my term paper. 4 minutes into the video you can see the scientists form a carbon strand from millions of Carbon Nanotubes. Due to their extremely strong structure, each individual fiber will create a remarkable Van der Waals force which allows them to form such strong cohesive strands with a greater tensile strength than that of steel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19nzPt62UPg

 I also find it notable that the scientists handling the material don't seem to be wearing the proper equipment.  Carbon nano-structures can be toxic and being only a few nano-meters in size can penetrate almost any material. These fibers are extremely susceptible to inhalation resulting in inflammation and cell death

BIO-INSPIRED MATERIALS post by Winston Becker

There has been some talk of where many of the advances in materials will come from in the future. One solution that is beginning to become popular is nature. Nature may provide a source of inspiration to solve many important engineering problems. The functionality of many biological systems is currently unmatched by engineers. For example, dragonflies can fly up, down, forward, back, and side to side. These insects demonstrate amazing control, maneuverability, and efficiency. They also have amazing connective tissue that allows their wings to perform the functions necessary for flight. This type of material could have many different applications. Another example is the bombardier beetle, which releases a combination of boiling chemicals on their predators. A third example is spider webs. Spiders actually produce two different materials when they make spider webs. One material is stiffer and provides structural support to the web. The other material is more viscoelastic which allows it to absorb energy when bugs make impact. Similar examples can be found throughout nature. Recently the phenomenal capabilities of biological materials have become particularly interesting to many engineers. One interesting component of this research is the contrasting approaches used by nature and engineers. Engineers usually use a top down approach to find solutions to design problems. In contrast, nature uses a bottom up approach to build materials. This has result in unbelievable materials that could have very important engineering applications. It is possible that many future advances in materials science will be in the field of bio-inspired materials. If we can learn how to create materials that mimic the amazing behavior of natural materials (such as the components of the structures listed above) then we might be able to solve problems in many different fields.

THE COOLEST MILITARY THING EVER post by Shelby Stafford

I found this article and thought it was THE COOLEST thing especially because I love almost anything to do with the military. This article is about the military's new wish to make smart wound-diagnosing uniforms and new drones!! I thought this would be a great topic for the blog to see people's reactions or even their ideas on how to accomplish these things. Let me know. Thank you.

http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2012-04/2012-military-wishlist-features-smart-wound-diagnosing-uniforms-and-dogfighting-drones

WHAT IS PREVENTING GREEN ENERGY FROM SPREADING? post by Belal ElMegharbel

I always read about new ideas that scientists come up with to produce green energy. Although the ideas always seems that its going to end the soaring demand for oil worldwide.  there is always something that prevents those ideas from being a reality. I recently read an article about a new aluminum alloy that researches at Purdue University have developed. researchers say that by putting this alloy in water a reaction takes place from which they can produce electricity from the hydrogen produced in the reaction and also the steam produced kill the germs and purify water to make it drinkable.

Here is a link for the article I read, but you can find many other articles about this topic.

http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/research/2011/110503WoodallWater.html

Such an invention can have limitless uses domestically and militarily. I also didn’t find that many limitations for it that could prevent it from being implemented to produce green energy.

My question is what could be the limitations of this method of producing energy and why such an amazing invention and many other methods to produce green energy never see the light?

CONTINUING WITH HYBRID CARS post by Nolan Borzelleca

After todays discussion, I though you might find this article about a

compressed air powered car.  It seems to be a far better solution than

 hybird or fully electric vehicles.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/news/preview-concept/4217016

MATERIALS IMPROVEMENTS OVERSEAS post by Didi Fubara

I came across this pretty interesting article the other day about how Materials and Science Engineers can help improve the world in a number of areas. I was interested particularly in number 3 as my family is from Nigeria and I have seen on a first hand basis the importance of detecting harmful elements in the food we eat.

Furthermore, I would like to ask the class to elaborate on carbon nanotubes and how they see its uses evolving in the future – they can also comment on other parts of this article they find interesting.

Heres the link: http://mse.rutgers.edu/about/materials_engineers_and_scientists_help_solve_major_world_problems

NANOTECH CLOTHING post by Iman Nazarian

I just found a pretty interesting article about nanotech clothing fabrics that don't get wet. The technology is imitating the way aquatic plants float on water without getting wet (they repel water).

 A video so guys know what I mean by water repelling:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFHcSrNRU5E

 Here is how it works:

 "The secret to this incredible water resistance is the layer of silicone nanofilaments, which are highly chemically hydrophobic. The spiky structure of the 40-nanometre-wide filaments strengthens that effect, to create a coating that prevents water droplets from soaking through the coating to the polyester fibres underneath.

 "The combination of the hydrophobic surface chemistry and the nanostructure of the coating results in the super-hydrophobic effect," 

Seeger explained to New Scientist. "The water comes to rest on the top of the nanofilaments like a fakir sitting on a bed of nails," he says.

 A similar combination of water-repelling substances and tiny nanostructures is responsible for many natural examples of extreme water resistance, such as the surface of Lotus leaves.

 The silicone nanofilaments also trap a layer of air between them, to create a permanent air layer. Similar layers - known as plastrons - are used by some insects and spiders to breathe underwater."

 For more: 

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16126-nanotech-clothing-fabric-never-gets-wet.html

 Can you imagine having self cleaning clothes?

GRAHAM HAWKES AND UNDERWATER FLIGHT post by Viquan Harold

Hey bloggers! Have any of you guys heard of Graham Hawkes? Well, his subs are currently the holder of the deepest recorded dive of 36,000 feet. His submarines are actually like airplanes that can go underwater. The interesting thing about this is the MATERIAL! Their underwater vehicles actually are positively buoyant and they use propellers to dive. The buoyant forces want to push it back to the surface. If they would turn their propels off, they would float back up to the surface unlike traditional submarines that are immensely heavier than water. The Deep Flight Challenger was one of there most interesting subs because it was designed to go down the deepest trench in the world, the Mariana, and engineering the material for that was so key because of the immense pressure. Just think about 60,000 pounds of pressure pushing down on you; you would be flat as pancakes or even thinner. The actual hull was made out of a custom-designed carbon fiber and it is said that the pilot would not be subjected to any pressure difference when diving. Its interesting to wonder the process of designing the material and how they came up with the material to be used. If you want to check out more about Graham Hawkes and the Deep Flight Challenger go to www.deepflight.com. It is pretty cool website and it shows some of the different underwater vehicles his has built.