Ceramic Magnets

Turns out Aluminum is not so good for military use. There was a similar situation when folks thought magnesium was a great material for trucking that was so much stronger and lighter. Then one got into an otherwise minor accident in Tucson and lit up mountains 20 miles away at two in the afternoon. and even steel liquified and ran down the gutters in the road that was also badly damaged,

2 Likes

Yeah I sailed for many years on ships with aluminum ladders and deck plates. They finally changed them all over to steel.

1 Like

I would not worry in non military applications, but it would be a key thought where fire is likely or critical. In ocean applications however care must be taken as linking aluminium to other materials electrically can make a nice battery that will eat the aluminium. I saw a case where they used stainless steel which works but then connected that to bronze on the other side, and the aluminum might as well have been zinc.

1 Like

Tell that to the air force…

1 Like

Truth be told I preferred aluminum. Moving deck plates and ladders around while working on machinery sure was easier when one guy could pick them up.

1 Like

Even they are going to titanium and composites although fire where oxygen is much lower is less a problem.