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Purdue University is collaborating with General Motors to develop a new type of energy-absorbing material that might be 3-D printed and that could have an impact in areas ranging from earthquake engineering to safer football helmets.
The honeycomb architecture of the "phase transforming cellular materials," or PXCMs, could be scaled to a range of sizes tailored for various applications. One size could be ideal for integration into helmets to reduce head impacts, while another size would be suited for installation in the walls of buildings to dampen earthquake forces. Being able to 3-D print the PXCMs would make them less expensive and more practical than other technologies, said Pablo Zavattieri, an associate professor in the Lyles School of Civil Engineering and a University Faculty Scholar at Purdue.
"The main advantage is that not only can it be used as an energy absorbing material, but unlike many other materials designed for this purpose the PXCMs would be reusable because there is no irreversible deformation," he said.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Friday November 13 2015, @05:40PM
"sorry guys, the 3D printer was too slow, so we'll play the next game with only 15 people. We unearthed evidence of rules for running around with an oval ball and not stop every 10 seconds, and are currently waiting for feedback from the TV networks"