The invention of bullet-proof vests did a great deal to make our police officers and military personnel safer, but even if a vest stops a bullet, there is still a change of internal injuries from the impact. I recently read an ASME article about a new material being developed that can stop a military grade .50 caliber bullet and also absorbs 75 percent of the energy of the impact.
This innovative metal foam material is being developed by a team led by Dr. Afsaneh Rabiei, Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at North Carolina State University. The material contains hollow spherical steel balls in a matrix of more steel. When sandwiched between a ceramic faceplate and an aluminum backplate, the composite weighs considerably less than the armor currently used by the military. “It has the strength, and resistance to heat, of metal, but the cushionability of Styrofoam”, says Dr. Rabiei.
It turns out that this material can also block neutrons and high energy radiation, and dissipate heat better than steel used as armor today. Commercializing its manufacture is now one of the big challenges facing the team. Another example of innovative engineering research with one design goal (saving lives) that could have applications in many other situations once it’s available. – Dr Tom
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