Re: [APD] Transparent Aluminum Ceramic -- The new glass?

[Rachel Sandage <rachelsor at gmail_com>]

Didn't Mr. Scott use this to build the whale tank many years ago?

On 18/10/05, Charley Bay <charleyb123 at yahoo_com> wrote:
>
> A new material, ALONtm, is essentially a transparent
> aluminum ceramic (a corund-like substance), many times
> stronger than glass. It's being tested for ballistic
> protection by the military (windows on vehicles and
> aircraft, etc.)
>
> It's *very* resistent to wear and scratching, and
> can resist heavy ballistic impact. Currently it's
> expensive ... $10-$15 per square inch, compared to
> glass ballistic laminates at $3 per square inch.
> (The price will come down as they figure out
> manufacturing scaling.)
>
> I'm particularly curious about the index of
> refraction, or transmission efficiency (which isn't
> mentioned in the article). But, this stuff is
> *much* lighter and thinner than glass, and very
> much stronger ... sounds like millimeters instead
> of inches for the same strength.
>
> When they make it cost effective, though, this
> stuff could be *ideal* for our planted tanks
> (especially for marine systems with very abrasive
> substrates and precipitates, and weird critters that
> like to break the sides of tanks).
>
> <http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123012131>
>
> Of course, "Sapphire" glass is basically a crystal
> aluminum oxide (first synthesized 100 years ago),
> and is scratch resistent, so this isn't entirely
> new. This does sound like some very good tech
> for materials science, though, particularly relevant
> to aquariums.
>
> --charley
>
>
>
>
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