Metal 'Foam' Could Mean Lighter Ships

Chuck Squatriglia

An innovative "foaming" aluminum that expands like a sponge and bonds to steel could cut the weight of cargo ships as much as 30 percent, reducing their fuel consumption and emissions.

The material, aluminum-titanium hydride powder, expands like foam when heated and is said to be lighter than water and remarkably stiff. It was developed at Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology in Chemnitz, Germany,

The powder is pressed into bars that are sandwiched between steel sheets and heated. The foam rises -- much like bread -- at about 650 Celsius (1,200 degrees Fahrenheit) and bonds to the steel without additional adhesives. The resulting plates will deform but not break, which the researchers say means cargo vessels could navigate year-round without fear of ice sheets.

Using the compound could cut the weight of a typical cargo ship by 1,000 tons, the researchers say. Shipping companies might find that attractive because a lighter ship means more payload and less fuel consumption.

Main photo: Kevin / Flickr. Second photo: YourIs.com