What is the strongest manmade material in existence?

[Howard]

Maybe carbon nanotubes, but since they're so small they don't really have a tangible strength to them... Is it possible to build something big with them?

My guess is carboloy. It's an alloy of cobalt, carbon and tungsten.

 

[Elledan]

Carbon nanotubes can be 'linked' together, making it stronger than titanium of the same thickness.

 

[ScottMac]

What kind of strength? Torsional, structural, shearing, crushing, etc....

As a standalone thing (like a chunk of iron)? or when woven, braided, laminated, or bonded (like Spectra or Kevlar)?

Just curious

Scott

 

[454Casull]

I take it he means flexure and torsion.

Ability to resist heat is also a strength.

 

[MadRat]

Buckyballs are pretty tought, too.

 

[Evadman]

carbon nanotubes would be strong enough for the "space elevator" that has been though of.

 

[Jerboy]

"strength" is a funny thing.

Every material have their own strength.

Materials responds differently to pin point and spread out force. Ceramic is obviously weaker than steel in spread out force, but is stronger than steel at concentrated force. If you try to make a crow bar out of alumina, it will shatter. If you try to make a precision needle point that must bear 2000psi of pressure(if the contact surfance is very very very small, 2000psi pressure can easily reach 2000psi) out of steel it will deform, but alumina would work(called sapphire knife edge).


Carbon fiber material is stronger against spread out force than same thing made out of same weight of steel.

But a steel nail would readily punch through carbon fiber.

Actually even wood is stronger than steel weight-to-weight.

 

[Agent004]

Actually most people are not educated to tell the distinct difference between Strong/hardness and brittle/rigid.

Jerboy, when we are referring to the strongest, we mean in terms of strong/hardness. Best to explain through your example



<< Carbon fiber material is stronger against spread out force than same thing made out of same weight of steel. >>



Carbon fibre is stronger because it's harder and it can take much more compressive force than steel, before deformation(if it deforms at all). However because of its regidness of the structure, it's pretty brittle.

A good example is Glass, it's harder/stronger than iron but it can be shattered very easily, where as it's very hard to shatter iron because it's quite deformable.

Further details, read up around Young's Modulus and you will discover more

 

[Evadman]

it's very hard to shatter iron because it's quite deformable.
Depends on how much sulfer you add to steel

 

[454Casull]

How well does carbon fibre resist flexure?

BTW... is Kevlar a fabric?

 

[oLLie]

Wow, I think it would be really cool if they did end up making a space elevator! Just "elevate" all our trash into the sun... err... something.



*quietly leaves highly technical before mockery begins*

 

[Evadman]

<< BTW... is Kevlar a fabric? >>


It can be made into one.

 

[Jerboy]

<< A good example is Glass, it's harder/stronger than iron but it can be shattered very easily, where as it's very hard to shatter iron because it's quite deformable. >>



Deformableness and brittleness isn't always inversely proportional. Aluminum is softer and deformable than iron, but is more fragile.

Iron is rather unique. Its hardness, ductility, stiffness varies considerably with amount of carbon and heat treatment.

Sulfur makes iron very fragile. Remember Titanic?

 

[Jerboy]

<< Maybe carbon nanotubes, but since they're so small they don't really have a tangible strength to them... Is it possible to build something big with them?

My guess is carboloy. It's an alloy of cobalt, carbon and tungsten. >>




OK well looks like you mean hardness by strength.

I'd say this one or this one

 

[ttn1]

I usually relate "strength" to toughness in most metallic materials. Combination of yield strength and ductility.

It's very hard to say what is the strongest material made by man. It completely depends on the application. Nanotubes are
awesome for their tensile strength to weight ratio, but try to build a building out of them.

If you were to use hardness as a criteria, I would say diamond. CBN, or Cubic Boron Nitride is a close second.

As for fiber-resin matrices, like carbon fiber, they are almost completely dependent upon the binder for their compressive
strength. Unless you use a block of carbon fiber, which then makes it not a fiber anymore. These matrix materials are
wonderful because if you work it right you can have the best of both worlds. High tensile and compressive strength. The
problem is the process to make a usable part is fairly expensive.

 

[chuck2002]

A little off topic, but i heard somewhere that a spider's web is the strongest medai (pound for pound) known to man.
The only problem is harnessing it.
Any input on this one?

 

[454Casull]

Then... what exactly is Kevlar?

 

[Moohooya]

I've heard they are trying to gow the spiders silk from goats! Yep you read that correctly. They are going to genitically alter the goats to produce milk containing the silk so it can then be spun. This can then be used to replace kevlar in bullet proof vests as it is lighter, stronger and flexiable.

 

[sn3aky]

<< This can then be used to replace kevlar in bullet proof vests as it is lighter, stronger and flexiable. >>


and very sticky

 

[Evadman]

<< I've heard they are trying to gow the spiders silk from goats! Yep you read that correctly. They are going to genitically alter the goats to produce milk containing the silk so it can then be spun. This can then be used to replace kevlar in bullet proof vests as it is lighter, stronger and flexiable. >>



I heard that as well about a year ago. I will search for it and see if anything is happing with that.

Also, only the part in the center of a spiderweb is sticky, the rest is not. There are 3 different kinds of "webbing"

 

[flood]

<< How well does carbon fibre resist flexure? >>


from my tennis experience, very well. When i use a metal/graphite racquet, i can feel the racquet recoiling after the ball leaves it. With my carbon fiber racquet, I dont feel a thing - it feels as if i havent even hit the ball.

 

[Becks2k]

The spiders web stuff.... a tshirt made outa a spiders web stuff... I guess they mean same weight/thickness, would act as a bulletproof vest.

 

[Armitage]

<<

<< How well does carbon fibre resist flexure? >>


from my tennis experience, very well. When i use a metal/graphite racquet, i can feel the racquet recoiling after the ball leaves it. With my carbon fiber racquet, I dont feel a thing - it feels as if i havent even hit the ball. >>



Carbon fiber is very stiff & strong, but relatively brittle.

 

[jwo7777777]

The practical use of carbon nanotubes and other small scale polymer fibers could be to reinforce concretions as filler material. The failure mode of such concretions could be practically reduced to adhesion qualities of the surrounding material to the fiber.

 

[im2smrt4u]

<< carbon nanotubes would be strong enough for the "space elevator" that has been though of. >>



Yea, thats exactly what they are planning to do...once they can make them in any mass quantity. Until then, I would guess that its some form of titanium alloy...