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posted by janrinok on Wednesday May 13 2015, @05:24PM   Printer-friendly
from the game-changer dept.

ScienceDaily reports:

Researchers have demonstrated a new metal matrix composite that is so light that it can float on water. A boat made of such composites will not sink despite damage to its structure. This first lightweight syntactic foam also holds promise for automotive fuel economy because of its heat resistance. The magnesium alloy matrix composite is reinforced with silicon carbide hollow particles and is strong enough to withstand rigorous conditions faced in the marine environment.

Significant efforts in recent years have focused on developing lightweight polymer matrix composites to replace heavier metal-based components in automobiles and marine vessels. The technology for the new composite is very close to maturation and could be put into prototypes for testing within three years. Amphibious vehicles such as the Ultra Heavy-lift Amphibious Connector (UHAC) being developed by the U.S. Marine Corps can especially benefit from the light weight and high buoyancy offered by the new syntactic foams, the researchers explained.

The unsinkability sounds like a great feature. Perhaps this could be employed on probes to Europa, where weight considerations are even greater than usual?

 
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  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by MrGuy on Wednesday May 13 2015, @07:04PM

    by MrGuy (1007) on Wednesday May 13 2015, @07:04PM (#182545)

    Imagine a ship made of lighter-than-water material (even with no heavy cargo) in motion across the sea. Then imagine a large hole being ripped in the hull of said ship.

    The individual pieces of the material that makes up the ship will not sink (absent some additional weight). Whether those pieces will remain attached to each other in the shape of a ship is very much an open question.

    Water is both incompressible and carries a massive amount of momentum, which will be imparted to whatever surface the water hits. Weight within the ship can shift suddenly and severely. Weight distribution (either water or cargo) can lift huge sections of the ship out of the water if the ship floods asymmetrically, and gravity can snap those sections off from the rest of the ship.

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