A team of researchers from North Carolina State University, led by Afsaneh Rabiei, is showing off the toughness of metal foam in an interesting way.
The researchers oversaw an M2 armor-piercing projectile, spanning 0.3 inches in diameter, fired at a lump of metal foam with what many would probably consider surprising results.
Here’s Rabiei’s explanation for what occurred during the metal foam experiment:
“We could stop the bullet at a total thickness of less than an inch, while the indentation on the back was less than 8 millimeters. To put that in context, the National Institute of Justice standard allows up to 44 millimeters indentation in the back of an armor.”
The full details can be seen on PhysOrg.
Metal foam comes in many forms and fashions, from metallic alloy being cast around hollow metal spheres to bubbling gas through molten metal to create the material.
Finally, it appears metal foam is beginning to receive the recognition it deserves.
