Transparent Aluminum - Fiction to Science - Science to Fiction - parallel universe

One might ask which comes first, the invention in some Sci-Fi plot or real science that is far out enough to qualify for Sci-Fi?

Your better authors will study what is going on in the real world or world soon to be, but not all new science is shared when you start touching on items that have potential military applications.

Jim Ickes passed a link about Star Trek imitating life, but did they know they were doing it when the script was written?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092007/
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Life Imitates 'Star Trek'

"The chemical formula for transparent aluminum plays a key role in the plot of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home [1986].
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transparent_aluminum#Star_Trek_appearance
In the movie, the formula is traded for Plexiglas sheets thick enough to create water tanks suitable for transporting two humpback whales through time, from the 20th century to the 23rd century, inside a Klingon Bird of Prey. Since the crew was temporarily stranded in the past without money appropriate to the period, they had to barter with the owner of the Plexicorp company (a fictional manufacturer of Plexiglas). Scotty trades the chemical formula for transparent aluminum for enough of the material to build the tanks."--Wikipedia.org

"A new type of transparent armor made of aluminum could one day replace glass in military vehicles. . . . 'The substance itself is light-years ahead of glass,' said 1st Lt. Joseph La Monica, who heads the research."--LiveScience, Oct. 18, 2005
http://www.livescience.com/technology/051018_new_glass.html
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Recent publication from Raytheon indicates the real Transparent Aluminum is now going to be turned into commercial products but that it was a well guarded military secret. It was patented back in 1985 and the movie was released in 1986. Hmmmmm.
- LRK -

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"ALON(R) was developed as advanced military material and kept as a well guarded secret," said Timothy C. Davis, president and chief executive officer of Surmet Corp. "It has never before been produced, marketed and available for commercial applications. With material properties similar to sapphire but with far lower costs, ALON(R) could be a replacement for many materials including alumina, quartz as well as sapphire."
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It was interesting following the links on WikipediA and then doing some GOGGLE searches about ceramics and sintered materials.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transparent_alumina

Along the lines of commercial products using hard clear glass like material, the Seiko Kinetic watch has a back side of clear sapphire that is hard and scratch resistant.
http://seikousa.com/Technology/TechDetails.aspx?technologyId=2

Sapphire is corundum or Al2O3 with a hardness of 9. Looks like this new stuff has added nitrogen and is not quite as hard.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sapphire

Would be interesting to know if this 'ALON(r)' could be made on the Moon and if only Raytheon would be allowed to do so. Tough, hard, clear material for windows to the view of the Lunar surface from your sealed lava tube lab might be nice especially if you wanted to fire a LASER through it. Ooops, now will be considered a military item falling under the purview of
International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and we will never hear of it again. :-(
http://www.pmdtc.org/reference.htm
http://www.pmdtc.org/docs/ITAR/2005/22cfr126_Part_126.pdf
- LRK -

Larry Kellogg
Web Site http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
Blog Spot http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium_oxynitride
Aluminum oxynitride

Aluminum oxynitride (AlON) is a transparent ceramic composed of aluminum, oxygen and nitrogen. It is marketed under the name ALON™ and described in U.S. Patent 4520116. The material remains solid up to 1200°C, and is harder than glass. When formed and polished as a window, the material currently (2005) costs about $USD10 to $USD15 per square inch.

It is currently the crucial outer layer of experimental transparent armor being considered by the US Air Force for the windows of armored vehicles. Other applications include semiconductors and retail fixtures.

Objects are usually formed from pressed, cast or molded powder. The formed objects are then densified by heating in an oven, and polished until transparent. The method of polishing has a substantial effect on the armor's impact resistance.

External links
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http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=/netahtml/srchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=4520116.WKU.&OS=PN/4520116&RS=PN/4520116
United States Patent 4,520,116
Gentilman , et al. May 28, 1985
Transparent aluminum oxynitride and method of manufacture

Abstract
An article of manufacture is provided comprising a polycrystalline cubic aluminum oxynitride having a density of at least 98% of theoretical density, and being transparent to electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range from 0.3 to 5 micrometers with an in-line transmission of at least 20% in this range. A method of preparing the optically transparent aluminum oxynitride is also provided comprising the steps of forming a green body of substantially homogeneous aluminum oxynitride powder and pressureless sintering said green body in a nitrogen atmosphere and in the presence of predetermined additives which enhance the sintering process. Preferred additives are boron and yttrium in elemental or compound form.

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Inventors: Gentilman; Richard L. (Acton, MA); Maguire; Edward A. (Ashland, MA); Dolhert; Leonard E. (Malden, MA)
Assignee: Raytheon Company (Lexington, MA)
Appl. No.: 570419
Filed: January 13, 1984
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http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/micro_stories.pl?ACCT=683194&TICK=RTN4&STORY=/www/story/07-25-2002/0001771721&EDATE=Jul+25,+2002

Raytheon and Surmet Corp. to Develop and Market New Aluminum Oxynitride (ALON(R)) Products for Commercial, Defense and Homeland Security Applications LEXINGTON and BURLINGTON, Mass., July 25 /PRNewswire/ --

Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has signed an agreement with Surmet Corp., a pioneer and technical leader in the Advanced Materials field, that allows Surmet Corp. to develop Raytheon's aluminum oxynitride (ALON(R)) manufacturing and process technologies. Surmet Corp. will initially focus on marketing ALON(R) to the semiconductor equipment, lighting, bio-medical, bar code scanner, defense and homeland security industries.

Raytheon developed ALON(R), which has the physical appearance of glass but has phenomenal ballistic properties, as an alternative material for sapphire for missile seeker window applications. ALON(R) products possess excellent light transmission, impact resistance and structural stability over a wide range of temperatures.

"ALON(R) was developed as advanced military material and kept as a well guarded secret," said Timothy C. Davis, president and chief executive officer of Surmet Corp. "It has never before been produced, marketed and available for commercial applications. With material properties similar to sapphire but with far lower costs, ALON(R) could be a replacement for many materials including alumina, quartz as well as sapphire."

"Using patented and proprietary plasma enhanced PVD and CVD processes,Surmet has developed advanced ceramic, metal and composite coatings that significantly improve the performance characteristics of many materials," said Dr. Suri Sastri, founder and chairman of Surmet Corp. "ALON(R) provides tremendous synergy for the technologies we have developed over the past 20 years. We are very excited to be acquiring rights to commercialize ALON(R) and working with Raytheon to commercialize this advanced material."

"This strategic relationship is the latest example of how Raytheon's leading-edge defense technology can be utilized in commercial markets to create a long term competitive advantage for our partner," said Glenn Lenzen, vice president of Raytheon's corporate Intellectual Property and Licensing department. "Surmet will be able to utilize ALON(R) in a variety of
applications and industries that would significantly benefit from the technical and cost characteristics."

Raytheon's Intellectual Property and Licensing department teamed with Raytheon Commercial Ventures Inc. (RCVI) to form the new partnership with Surmet Corp. RCVI was established in February 2001 to create a "commercialization engine" within Raytheon and since then Raytheon has spun technology into five companies where it has retained an equity interest.

Surmet Corp., of Burlington, Mass., is an industry leader in surface metallurgy and engineered coatings.

Based in Lexington, Mass., Raytheon Company is a global technology leader in defense, government and commercial electronics and business and special mission aircraft.

Amy Hosmer
781.860.2423
Raytheon Company
Timothy C. Davis
781.272.3969
Surmet Corp.
MAKE YOUR OPINION COUNT - Click Here
http://tbutton.prnewswire.com/prn/11690X57294671
SOURCE Raytheon Company
Web site: http://www.raytheon.com
CONTACT: Amy Hosmer, of Raytheon Company, +1-781-860-2423; orTimothy C.
Davis, +1-781-272-3969, Surmet Corp.

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WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK
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