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New Armor Material Turns Armor-piercing Bullets ‘Into Dust’


A 7.62 x 63 millimeter is pulverized upon impact with a composite metal foam armor plate.
A 7.62 x 63 millimeter is pulverized upon impact with a composite metal foam armor plate.

A new material might be strong enough to render even an armor-piercing bullet harmless.

Researchers at North Carolina State University say they’ve developed a composite metal foam that would turn the bullet “into dust on impact.”

The CMF is lighter than metal and could revolutionize body and vehicle armor. CMF is also able to withstand fire and heat twice as much plain metals.

“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,” said Afsaneh Rabiei, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at NC State. “To put that in context, the NIJ standard allows up to 44 millimeters indentation in the back of an armor.”

The researchers said the new, strong material could have applications outside armor, such as “space exploration to shipping nuclear waste require a material to be not only light and strong, but also capable of withstanding extremely high temperatures and blocking radiation.”

Here's a video of the bullet hitting a plate:

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