A glass as strong as steel - ATRIA Innovation (2024)

FAQs

Can glass be made stronger than steel? ›

That's why researchers have created a new type of glass that is stronger and tougher than steel. In fact, this new type of damage-tolerant glass has actually demonstrated a durability greater than any known material.

Scientists at the Columbia University, University of Connecticut, and the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory were able to fabricate a pure form of glass and coat specialized pieces of DNA with it to create a material that was not only stronger than steel, but incredibly lightweight.

The result is that glass undergoes extensive plasticity in response to stress, allowing it to bend rather than crack. Glassy materials have a non-crystalline, amorphous structure that makes them inherently strong but invariably brittle.

Metallic glass is stronger than steel and harder than hard tool steel. Metallic glass has super strength, elasticity, and magnetic properties, and can remain solid without crystallizing at high temperatures, which is mainly used in aerospace and military weapons.

It's referred to as Tesla Armor Glass and is described as an “ultra-strong glass and polymer-layered composite” that can absorb and redirect impact forces. The glass has also been described by Musk as transparent metal, but other than that, the exact engineering behind the material remains a mystery.

Polycarbonate Unbreakable Glass

In fact, according to some estimates a polycarbonate window is over 200 times more resistant to impact! Compared to standard glass windows, they offer superior protection against burglaries and weather-related disasters.

Materials scientists have created a glass nanolattice structure five times lighter and four times stronger than steel. They call the new material the strongest known for its given density. The use of a DNA structure and thin, flawless glass is the secret sauce.

Toughened glass, otherwise known as tempered glass, is the strongest type of glass. It is commonly used when safety and/or security are a priority as it can be up to five times stronger than other types of glass.

Prince Rupert's drops (also known as Dutch tears or Batavian tears) are toughened glass beads created by dripping molten glass into cold water, which causes it to solidify into a tadpole-shaped droplet with a long, thin tail.

Glass is the safest water bottle type and offers the purity of taste, but stainless steel offers insulation benefits that keep your beverages hot or cold. Check out Aquasana's full selection of glass and stainless steel water bottles to enjoy healthy, great-tasting water wherever you go.

Does glass release toxins? ›

Unlike plastics, which break down into microplastics that can leach into our soils and water, glass is non-toxic.

These inert and impermeable qualities of glass make it completely safe for food and drink usage. The safety of glass has been demonstrated in many studies and is generally recognized as safe by governments and legislation. The exception is certain types of glass that may have toxic lead or cadmium in them.

Diamond is the hardest known material to date, with a Vickers hardness in the range of 70–150 GPa. Diamond demonstrates both high thermal conductivity and electrically insulating properties, and much attention has been put into finding practical applications of this material.

Summary: A new type of damage-tolerant metallic glass, demonstrating a strength and toughness beyond that of steel or any other known material, has been developed.

Glass Solutions for Extreme Environments

There are two primary methods for strengthening glass: chemical strengthening and thermal tempering. Both of these processes alter the outer surface of the glass, causing it to have a higher compression than the interior glass, which is in a state of tension.

Kevlar is composed of long chains of molecules arranged in a crystalline structure. This arrangement provides exceptional strength and durability, making it five times stronger than the equivalent weight of steel.

Glass typically has a tensile strength of 7 megapascals (1,000 psi). However, the theoretical upper bound on its strength is orders of magnitude higher: 17 gigapascals (2,500,000 psi). This high value is due to the strong chemical Si–O bonds of silicon dioxide.