Super Light, Super Strong: Steel Foam

North Carolina State University’s Afsaneh Rabiei has created a super light, ultra-high-strength composite “steel foam”. This new material can save energy and lives in the aerospace, medical, automotive, and other industries. Rabiei’s metal foam is not the first of its kind, but it is the strongest created thus far. As shown in her research, by inserting two pieces of this metal foam behind the bumper of a car the impact of a crash at 28 mph could only feel like an impact at 5 mph. Since this steel foam is only a third the weight of bulk steel, it could very well attract car manufacturers to use it in their bumpers to improve safety and gas mileage. This steel foam could also be used in plenty of different lightweight structures, including airplanes and boats, which need protection from impact. (See original post here)