[PSUBS-MAILIST] This was Star Trek stuff yesterday

[Coalbunny <coalbunny@onewest.net>]

Not sure of the validity of this article/subject.  Open for input.
Carl

 (from http://www.rense.com/general20/transparentalum.htm )
Transparent Aluminum - Three Times Stronger Than Steel

A ceramic research lab in Dresden, Germany, has developed transparent
aluminum by subjecting fine-grained (I'm guessing extremely
fine-grained) aluminum to a whopping 1200 degrees Celsius ...the result
of which is amazingly light but three times tougher than hardened steel
of the same thickness, and it's see-through.

Needless to say, the Pentagon is quite interested.


>From Spiegal Online (German) after being mangled by Bablefish:

Of America weapon technician show interest in a tank page frame from
Dresden. In the there institute for Fraunhofer for ceramic technologies
succeeded in baking fine-grained alumina in such a way with 1200 degrees
Celsius in the furnace that an extremely hard, transparent material
develops.

A 10 times 10 centimeters large disk (strength: only about 400 gram
weigh, are however three times harder 1.0 cm as hardened steel. With
firing tests under contract of the German Federal Armed Forces from the
Bundeswehr in Koblenz " outstanding results " were obtained, report the
researcher Andreas Krell.

Also in the US state Idaho were examined the tiles: The pentagon is
fascinated of the transparency of the material, with which firingfixed
of visors or large windows of armored reconnaissance vehicles can be
built.