Proteus becomes the world's first manufactured non-cuttable material

[left-of-center2012]

Researchers from the UK's Durham University and Germany's Fraunhofer Institute claim they've come up with the world's first manufactured non-cuttable material, just 15 percent the density of steel, which they say could make for indestructible bike locks and lightweight armor.

The material, named Proteus, uses ceramic spheres in a cellular aluminum structure to foil angle grinders, drills and the like by creating destructive vibrations that blunt any cutting tools used against it. The researchers took inspiration from the tough, cellular skin of grapefruit and the hard, fracture-resistant aragonite shells of molluscs in their creation of the Proteus design.

An angle grinder or drill bit will cut through the outer layer of a Proteus plate, but once it reaches the embedded ceramic spheres, the fun begins with vibrations that blunt the tool's sharp edges, and then fine particles of ceramic dust begin filling up gaps in the matrix-like structure of the metal. These cause it to become even harder the faster you grind or drill "due to interatomic forces between the ceramic grains," and "the force and energy of the disc or the drill is turned back on itself, and it is weakened and destroyed by its own attack."

"The ceramics embedded in this flexible material are also made of very fine particles which stiffen and resist the angle grinder or drill when you’re cutting at speed in the same way that a sandbag would resist and stop a bullet at high speed. This material could have lots of useful and exciting applications in the security and safety industries. In fact, we are not aware of any other manufactured non-cuttable material in existence as of now" said lead author Stefan Szyniszewski, Assistant Professor of Applied Mechanics, in Durham's Department of Engineering.

https://newatlas.com/materials/proteus-non-cuttable-bike-lock-armor/

[mahatmakanejeeves]

1. It surely looks to me as if they cut into it. Oh, never mind; that was the outer layer. NT

[Lochloosa]

4. It's just cutting through the outer layer. From the article.

An angle grinder or drill bit will cut through the outer layer of a Proteus plate, but once it reaches the embedded ceramic spheres, the fun begins with vibrations that blunt the tool's sharp edges, and then fine particles of ceramic dust begin filling up gaps in the matrix-like structure of the metal. These cause it to become even harder the faster you grind or drill "due to interatomic forces between the ceramic grains," and "the force and energy of the disc or the drill is turned back on itself, and it is weakened and destroyed by its own attack."

[mahatmakanejeeves]

5. Yeah. I went back and read that. I was watching the video, thinking, what's so special about that?

Thanks.

[MineralMan]

2. Plasma torch?

[gratuitous]

3. Okay, I want that in a bike lock

Portland is one of the worst places for having your bike stolen, and when I'm not on it or walking it, it has to be locked up. Even Kryptonite locks are no match for a determined bike thief. I'm resigned to the fact that I'm just making my bike a little harder to steal.

But one of these locks? I don't know what the price should be, but I'd consider it a worthy investment up to $150 or $200, though I would hope it would be less than that.

[Cirque du So-What]

8. Like anything else, it depends on economies of scale

Seems there would be plenty of demand for this material, leading to more efficient supply chains and increasing capacity.

[Hugin]

6. Next up...

Non-cuttable material cutters.

Inventors love a challenge.

Better to call it cut resistant material. But, then that wouldn't sell quite as well.

You'd think they learned from the unsinkable Titanic. Really.

[left-of-center2012]

7. It can't be cut

[Hugin]

10. I posit that by applying a harmonic damper to the bit it could.

There are many ways, but, that would be the easiest and cheapest.

[Best_man23]

9. How about waterjet cutting?

Not really portable, but a 60,000 psi waterjet can cut through an anvil in about 40 minutes.

[RainCaster]

11. What about bolt cutters?

That's a totally different way of cutting.

[left-of-center2012]

13. Yep

Bet the experts and scientists never thought of bolt cutters.