http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41192768...ce-innovation/

"Louis Ohland" wrote in message
...
"The first samples of this new metallic glass were relatively small glass
rods just a millimeter in diameter. When Cal Tech researchers added silver
to the microalloy mix, they were able to expand the thickness of the glass
rods to six millimeters. This metallic glass needs to be rapidly cooled
for the final structure, which limits how large the samples can be."

It looks like we won't be ordering this from Speedy Metals for a time yet.
Sorta like transparent aluminum, eh?


Gues what, transparent aluminum now exists. NOT available from Speedy metals
either. Also shelf life is very short, about 40 femtoseconds.
http://www.physorg.com/news167925273.html

On Jan 24, 6:58*am, Louis Ohland wrote:
"The first samples of this new metallic glass were relatively small
glass rods just a millimeter in diameter. When Cal Tech researchers
added silver to the microalloy mix, they were able to expand the
thickness of the glass rods to six millimeters. This metallic glass
needs to be rapidly cooled for the final structure, which limits how
large the samples can be."

It looks like we won't be ordering this from Speedy Metals for a time
yet. Sorta like transparent aluminum, eh?

On 1/23/2011 17:22, Pinstripe Sniper wrote:



*wrote:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41192768...science-innova....

And another link:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0110121709.htm

PsS

- Show quoted text -

I can remember this in Popular Science back in the late '60s or early
'70s, was supposed to be The Next Big Thing. Was supposed to replace
all the steel in transformers and be ever so much more efficient
because of no eddy currents, hasn't turned out that way. Still a
loooong way from being a commercial product. Kind of like fusion
power, always 20 years down the road...

Stan

On Jan 24, 10:14*am, wrote:

I can remember this in Popular Science back in the late '60s or early
'70s, was supposed to be The Next Big Thing. *Was supposed to replace
all the steel in transformers and be ever so much more efficient
because of no eddy currents, hasn't turned out that way. *Still a
loooong way from being a commercial product.

Not quite true; for some high-Q inductors, tape-wound
cores of metallic glass are available (and have benefits, but for
small signals, not high power). The other use is for those antitheft
strips you sometimes see; the tonnage produced is small, but
ferromagnetic metal glasses ARE a commercial item.

Glassy alloys have the annoying habit of recrystallizing when under
stress or heat, so they can't be machined easily (chemical or
electrical discharge machining might work). The commercial output
is mainly in the form of long tapes.