If there is a material that cannot be cut or drilled, how cool is it? You can make the worst bicycle lock, the strongest work boots or the safest door. Really, the list of possibilities continues.

Researchers from the UK and Germany claim that they have created such a magical material. It can destroy the angle grinder disc, resist the drill bit, and widen the water flow of the waterjet cutting machine.

This material is made of foamed aluminum with a pile of small ceramic balls embedded in it. Its working principle is to produce retaliatory vibration in the cutting tool, so that the force of the tool acts on itself again and quickly blunt the cutting edge of the tool.

The creator named this material after the elusive and deformed prophet in Greek mythology, and he will only share his vision for the future with those who can hold him and keep him still. It sounds like this material allows Proteus to compete for his money.

Ceramic balls themselves are not indestructible, but they shouldn't be. Grinding the sphere only makes Proteus stronger. When cutting tools touch them, they are pulverized into dust, filling the voids in the foamed aluminum, enhancing the destructive vibration effect of the material. The physical inspiration of Proteus comes from the protective hierarchical structure in nature, such as the impact-resistant grapefruit skin and the abalone shell's tendency to resist fracture under the impact of shark teeth.

At this point, Proteus is a proof of concept. Before producing on any type of scale, adjustments may have to be made. Even so, the recipe seems very simple. First, the aluminum alloy powder is mixed with the foaming agent. The mixture is then cold compacted in a compressor and extruded into a compact rod. The rods are cut to a certain size and then arranged in a layered grid together with ceramic balls, like metallurgical lasagna.

Spot weld the grid in the steel box and put it in the furnace for 15-20 minutes. In the furnace, the blowing agent releases hydrogen, thereby introducing voids into the foamed aluminum and giving it a honeycomb structure.

According to their paper, the researchers tried to penetrate the material with angle grinders, waterjet cutters, and drills. Among them, the drill bit is most likely to pass, because the small contact point can more easily find the gap, so it is less likely to hit the ceramic ball. The researchers also produced cylindrical samples without steel cladding to test the compressive strength and prove the practicality of Proteus as a structural material for beams and columns. It performed poorly initially, but became less compressible as the foam matrix collapsed.

The creation process provides some room for customization, because the porosity of the foamed aluminum can be changed by changing the baking time. As for the drill bit, enhancing safety is as simple as adjusting the size and/or density of a ceramic ball.

In the video after the break, you can see a large piece of Proteus eating an angle grinder disc in one minute. Some people may argue about the skill of the tool holder, but we think there is something to be said for any material that can destroy the cutting disc so quickly. They did not claim that Proteus is completely impenetrable, but it does look impressive. We hope they can try more cutting tools, such as gas torches, or experiment with other destructive technologies, such as plastic explosives, but we think the research budget can only end here.

This has been discussed here a few weeks ago, or I have a mental disorder.

Well, I took a look, but I didn't see the article where we introduced this material/research before.

In the past year, there must be no article about this in my RSS feed, so...?

The Mandela effect has a panoramic view.

Wow, thanks to the original poster.

Oh, that is a different Dan to me! good article. Mike-if you get cheated occasionally, don't worry; you are just a human (as far as we know...I mean one of you may be an artificial intelligence, who knows... :P ) The number of submissions you receive must be difficult to track.

Yes, this is very obvious when the "Benchoff" AI server is unplugged.

I noticed a lot of things happened recently. When I saw them, I didn't spend time looking for doubles, I just scrolled past and imagined that there were some legitimate reasons. I'll check it next time. Maybe the draft accidentally made it to the front page, and then actually published and appeared for the second time?

relax. It is called ESP...

I cannot comment on your mental health, but I suspect you are reading Slashdot.

The trick may be to use an ultrasonic blade with resonance feedback to cut it, so you can crush the beads. Although it may be more effective to use some kind of high temperature cutting tool (maybe a laser or plasma arc) to melt through it.

I think that the masonry bit at the end of the hammer drill may not be a problem.

Not that problem

I hate it raining in the parade, but this material is nothing new, and the tailoring is not particularly difficult. For decades, the safe and vault industries have used ceramic and ball bearings, including "hard plates." In fact, every modern cash dispenser has ball bearings, including hard plates (NCR, Diebold, etc.). Ball deflection and passivation HSS bits, designed for chattering and fracture of tungsten carbide bits. You fill the holes with dowels or 2 part epoxy, and then drill through these with cemented carbide burrs. Ceramics have been used for many years, but there is a fatal flaw. You just alternate punching and drilling. It will crash and be easily defeated with the right equipment. Most people think that "hard" or drill-resistant materials are far less than the mildest hard board examples in the safe and vault industry. Take AR500 bulletproof steel plate as an example. It is widely regarded as a material that is very difficult to machine and is notorious for burning through high-quality drill bits (high-speed steel, titanium, cobalt, etc.). You can use a standard 8 1/4-inch carbide drill bit commonly used in the S&V industry to drill a hole directly through the 1/2-foot-thick AR500 board in 3 to 4 seconds. You can even drill 100 or more holes on the same AR500 board with the same $8 drill bit. This is not an exaggeration. AR500 is 10-15 percentage points lower on the Rockwell C hardness scale than hard plates that are generally considered to be the mildest form in the S&V industry (usually using high-carbon tool steels such as D2). I am actually surprised that this company has done all of this development work without doing more research on other "uncutable" materials that may be used in other industries or work areas. To be honest, this type of stuff is old news in the security industry. If you are really looking for the most "uncutable"/drill-resistant material, then look back at some of the many hard alloy embedded hard boards that have been patented over the years-such as Relsom (Mosler), MaxAlloy (Schwayder) ) And Impervium (Diebold). These were used 40-50 years ago. Diamond bits were eventually developed for these impenetrable barrier materials, which are now standard equipment in any serious safety technician's drill kit. Over the years, as the price of tungsten has risen (thanks to China...), there has been an increasing trend for safe/vault manufacturers to switch from tungsten carbide materials to more "active" types of hard boards to reduce costs. These movable plates use rotating/rotating/moving elements to constrain and vibrate the cutting equipment, thereby effectively positioning the tool relative to itself (initially a hardened ball bearing). This method is usually used with a reduced amount of carbide to keep the total drilling time within an acceptable range. For the same reason, glass "relocker" panels are also making a comeback. In my opinion, the most drill-resistant ("uncut") materials currently being manufactured are found in US government "red label" GSA containers, which are usually used to store confidential materials. Almost all current GSA manufacturers use the same two designs and suppliers to manufacture hard boards. Both types use a tungsten carbide matrix material, and one type also includes strategically placed free-rotating balls that are immersed in the hardened matrix. Most materials that are difficult to machine or "wear-resistant" must compromise between hardness (e.g. ceramic) and toughness (e.g. AR500). Normally, you cannot have a full understanding of this trade-off at the same time in a safe situation, which helps the technician to determine the correct equipment and opening method to use on a particular opening. Get it right, this is just another quick and routine job. You got it wrong, you might spend a few days on that safe, because plan A is out of the scope of discussion right now. The current GSA "red label" content is very powerful because it is both extremely hard and extremely hard, which severely limits your potential opening options. There is no shortcut, which is in full compliance with government regulations. You will be drilling for a long time, and it is easy to burn cemented carbide/diamond drill bits worth hundreds of dollars in the end. It is very difficult to penetrate the 6-sided rigid board box around the internal locking mechanism. The government has approved a procedure that requires the use of cemented carbide hole saws and cutting saws to destroy the entire surface of the container for access (Fed STD 809). This is something truly impressive, and may be the closest thing to the "uncutable" material currently being produced.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge in this area. Maybe you can confirm or deny one of my suspicions-will the material become brittle when bent?

Interesting, thanks for the context.

Do you think the usefulness of this material is its light weight? For bicycle locks, it is very convenient to have the performance of an ATM board (or close to it) without the weight or size required by a ball bearing.

It looks like we have found a penetration tester.

As a mechanic who has used solid single crystal diamond tools and everything in between, this is very cool information.

I'm already thinking about how to destroy all these things with CBN and singular geometries or portable waterjet cutters loaded with CBN grit (if it exists or is done-bet it has)

The worst thing I have personally heard is the high-manganese alloy sheet used for industrial shooting tumbler machines and other similar items. I found the name of the alloy at some point, but I don't remember what it is now. It is said that any carbide can be destroyed immediately, it is arranged in some industrial tumblers that we use to roll titanium forgings in Goff tumblers

I used to work on an ATM and can testify for what he said. I myself and two Diebold technicians spent most of the day, 15 carbide drill bits entered an ATM where the electronic combination lock failed.

You have not lost the plot of Somun. The same material, different linked articles. Be here from the beginning, never assume.

I want to know if this thing has great tensile strength. I can't imagine a bicycle lock made of foamed aluminum would be so effective under the pressure of a crowbar (obviously, it doesn't need to keep the tip working).

This is exactly what I think. Continuous contact of rotating tools may have feedback weaknesses that are not present in impact tools (hammer series) or continuous pressure tools (crowbar series) or heating.

I don't know how this technology works, but there are some bicycle U-shaped locks that can effectively resist saws, but they can easily be ejected by a car jack. I expect similar weaknesses here.

I'm actually thinking of taking the opposite approach with a temperature attack, freezing the lock with a can of "canned air" duster, and then hitting it with a hammer.

I also want to know how this material responds to twists or blows.

Perhaps the ultimate bicycle lock has a traditional high-strength steel core and a layer of this material to resist battery-powered angle grinders with cutting discs.

I am curious how ceramic affects its thermal performance. It seems that heat will initially enter the aluminum. The ceramic will heat up slowly, but I wonder if it will return heat to the aluminum to keep it longer than expected. In contrast, foam has a lot of surface area to dissipate heat.

I was thinking "If the angle grinder blade is so hard, then use this kind of thing to make the angle grinder blade"

The solution to bicycle theft is to remove the material and install the saw blade on this grinder. Then use it to chop off the hands of a few thieves, which may become smaller.

A good solution to bicycle theft is to buy a $30 bicycle.

I will apply for gallium. Or a handsaw.

Alum or electric arc can make it work easily. It's just metal after all. I heard about it for the first time from a sadomasochist on Twitter who wanted to use it to make a chastity cage.

You may have the only legitimate comment that makes me curious about joining Twitter.

The material science dominatrix feed is a combination of things that I never thought I would find individually attracted until they are together, just like this kind of material, it’s a creative thing

I want to know how it can fight sledgehammers or other usual brute force attacks.

This article sounds as if it has similar properties to non-Newtonian fluids. "The ceramic embedded in this flexible material is also made of very fine particles. When you cut at high speeds, these particles harden and resist angle grinders or drill bits, just like sandbags resist and stop bullets at high speeds. "

This makes me wonder what can be cut at a lower speed. But the only thing I can think of is a shaper.

The real situation is what happens if you hit it with a bullet? Considering that it has not been touted as a new body armor material, it may not be able to withstand such a single high impact.

Guess, I would say spalling, dissipating energy laterally.

Are you an accidental American?

Given the difficulty of cutting or reshaping it, you must order it in the exact size and shape you need. That might become expensive.

Exactly. Make material processing tough. Drop-forge may be able to effectively shape it, while at the same time turning the ceramic ball into a powder, thereby strengthening it.

I guess it might be a bit like sintered metal parts.

Given that it hasn't been mentioned, who else thinks it might be easily broken?

I don't think so. Maybe you can break the aluminum under the same conditions by soaking it with LN2 and then hitting it hard. It is a bit like glass filled resin. It is harder than resin and not as fragile as glass.

It sounds like the spheres will shatter, but then they will penetrate deep into the aluminum foam. This is discussed in the article, it makes the material stronger.

"Proteus is physically inspired by the protective hierarchical structure in nature, such as the impact-resistant outer skin of grapefruit and the tendency of abalone shells to resist fracture under the impact of shark teeth."

Not long ago, I encountered an example of abalone shell in an article about metamaterials. Basically it is like bricks being laid to offset the layer and prevent the cracks from running so easily. In any case, it made me think about the possibility of using it for 3D printing, ensuring that the layers are offset to increase the strength. When I get a round tuit and my own 3D printer, I plan to test it.

The layer is usually at a 90 degree angle to the layer above or below. It's basically the same, isn't it?

The offset layer is not enough. You need an interface to create an alternative path for the crack, and ideally, this layer will be customized so that the crack bifurcates.

In 3D printing, you might be able to achieve this through the lack of aggression between the layers. Since PLA is a brittle material, you may get a stronger part, and you can successfully control this effect. You can find more information on https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228413471_Development_of_Failure_Tolerant_Multi-Layer_Silicon_Nitride_Ceramics_Review_from_Macro_to_Micro_Layered_Structures

Aggression = adhesion on my phone

I can't imagine how this will work. You mean alternating layers of different materials? In my experience, once a layer is damaged, PLA will fail exponentially, regardless of whether the adhesion of the layer is good or bad. Compared with tensile/compressive resistance, impact resistance may be a different animal.

By the way, does it remind everyone of the "Foam Metal Company" in Frontier Elite and Frontier First Encounters? It is said that the metal foam used in the construction of starship hulls is rumored to contain buckyballs.

it's OK now! Although I played Elite when I was a little older, I might associate them with aerogels.

All these vibrational relationships made me think: "The most universal substance on earth, they use it to make a flying disc" where is the joke?

Very cool material research. But the solution to this problem is a hammer and chisel.

To me, the whole idea looks a lot like the well-known nails hidden in wood. That disc grinder that eats wood saws. I want to know if the tile-cutting disc will be easy to cut this thing?

Yes, it may only require some work to develop a good blade type, otherwise it is like using your wood tearing blade on an angle iron and going to "WTFBBQ!!! Cutting proof!!! 111"

For bicycle chains, this is actually a cool idea. Embed the D2 rod in the cork and watch all the thieves dull their blades. But I think it can also act as a saw/blade guide, so win some and lose some? Well, in any case, the weight will give it up. This reminds me: Once we cut a dead tree with a chain saw and had to sharpen the chain several times, about 30 cm (1 foot) in diameter. The chain actually creates sparks on the dead tree corpse. Later it was discovered that it was a kind of exotic and very expensive hardwood, forgot to use it mainly for sculpture. The original owner is dead, and we are cleaning the garden in case anyone wants to know.

I think the sodium hydroxide solution can dissolve the aluminum foam holding the ceramic ball.

Maybe it was mentioned in a podcast you listened to?

I want to know the handsaw.

Me too. Any reasonable hacksaw can process aluminum very quickly, especially foamed aluminum. Given the large size of the ceramic balls (13 mm), it is difficult to see that you cannot go around them with a hacksaw.

In addition, might a powerful dust remover to remove ceramic dust change things?

If it is liquid, it cannot be cut resistant. (Wielding a hot gun)

If this is as good as they are trying to imply, they will try to cut it properly with an angle grinder.

The disc seems to have no problem when cutting the material, only when it is immersed-and ordinary steel has a problem with this!

They should start from the top edge and move down, and the fact that they didn't show it shows that they are trying to hide the truth about it...

Looking at the beginning of the cutting, I would say that cutting reasonable steel in the same size block is not difficult (maybe easier). So what is the story?

How about using diamond grinding discs in the grinder? I believe they can even be used to cut stone, concrete, ceramics, and steel, if you don’t use too much force and cool down properly...

If it is difficult to cut like steel, but the weight of foamed aluminum is so heavy, that is a good story.

>Any material that can quickly destroy the cutting disc

If you do it wrong, you can destroy the cutting disc at such a fast speed. All they did was push the disc into the metal, deliberately overheating it, without even trying to cut it.

I have not seen a bicycle lock made of this material is better than a set of bolt cutters.

Yes, it is great to see this being tested. Although it depends on the plan to use it, it may not be practical.

I have seen cross-sections of commercial safes made in this way with zero fancy materials-just embed steel/metal balls in the concrete or other types of materials in the walls of the safe to make it harder (but by no means impossible) A single conventional tool for cutting or drilling.

EG: Metal drills hate concrete, masonry drills hate metal. Metal grinding discs hate concrete, concrete grinding discs hate metal... and sledgehammers hate the steel shell that puts it all in.

I doubt how great this material is, and I doubt that the difficulties of using it in many applications outweigh the benefits.

By the way, the person who welded the angle grinder applied so much pressure that the motor stalled. He said that this is more like an example of a wheel being chewed on purpose, rather than a situation where the material resists being ground.

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