Industry News: Metal Bubble Composite

North Carolina State University and the US Army Aviation Applications Technology Agency have jointly developed a new material called "Metal Bubble Composite", or CMF for short, which is a kind of foam made of metal, except for ammunition that can directly defend against enemy shooting. In addition, it can withstand explosion shock waves, deadly attacks, and radiation. This new invention not only resists and smashes bullets, but also weighs only one-third of the current armor.

CMF is a kind of "metal foam". Like a sponge or like a Swiss cheese, it has a lot of holes on the surface, which makes it much lighter than ordinary metals.

However, don't underestimate the holes. Suppose a tank is covered with this metal foam. When the enemy tank hits the tank directly with the cannon, the holes can absorb the huge impact energy caused by the ammunition and help reduce the damage.

As can be seen from the test video, the bullet travels at 2,780 ft. of force, and when it hits about one inch of metal foam on the front side, it instantly turns into a cloud of ash and debris. Mechanical aerospace engineering experts who led the study said that metal foam can significantly reduce the impact of bullets, making the ballistic material only sag within the range of less than 8 mm.

In addition to blocking bullets, it also reduces the damage caused by blast waves. More importantly, the metal foam is lighter in weight and will be used in armored vehicles or tanks in the future, which weighs only one-third of the current armored vehicles. It is conceivable that future armored vehicles and tank operations will be more mobile and flexible.