Lecture Notes on Atomic Trampoline and Metallic Glass Project

Introduction

• Sponsored by Opera.
• Reference to Steve Mould's video on Atomic Trampoline.

Atomic Trampoline Demonstration

• Initial Experiment: Dropped a regular ball bearing on a generic stainless steel cylinder; minimal bounce.
• Actual Atomic Trampoline: Features a special layer of metal, allowing for significant bouncing.
• Material Explanation: The trampoline is made of amorphous metal or metallic glass.

Interest in Making an Atomic Trampoline

• Desire to own an Atomic Trampoline; discovered it's not commercially available.
• Decided to attempt making one myself, despite not knowing much about metallic glass.

Understanding Metallic Glass

• Research on metallic glass revealed various compositions affecting properties like density, elasticity, and hardness.
• Focusing on a specific composition: Vitreloy 1, containing:
  • 41.2% Zirconium
  • 22.5% Beryllium
  • 13.8% Titanium
  • 12.5% Copper
  • 10% Nickel

Safety Concerns with Beryllium

• Beryllium is toxic; exposure can lead to chronic lung disease.
• Created a plan for safe handling:
  1. Minimize beryllium dust and vapor.
  2. Ensure proper ventilation and protective gear.

Making the Metallic Glass Disk

• Preparation: Needed to melt ingredients in an oxygen-free environment and cool quickly to form metallic glass.
• Research Findings: Arc melting and suction casting under argon was a preferred method.
  • Arc Melter Setup: A welding setup with water-cooled crucibles was discovered as effective.

First Tests with Iron

• Conducted preliminary tests by melting iron to learn the process.
• Successfully melted iron to test the arc melter setup.

Mold Testing and Failures

• Attempted to create disks using the mold; initial tests were unsuccessful.
• Issues with the mold design led to inconsistent results.
• Repeated trials with various adjustments were made for better results.

Success in Creating Disks

• After several attempts and adjustments, successful disk formations were achieved:
  • Found the right amount of metal to use and heating techniques.
  • Disks produced were shiny but had some minor defects.

Bouncy Metal Testing

• Compared the bouncy properties of the created disks against normal metal:
  • Disks showed superior bounce compared to regular iron blobs.
• Surface quality affected bounce; a plan to grind and polish was considered.

Final Adjustments and Giveaway Announcement

• Finished disks were glued onto a steel base for improved stability.
• Successful bounce tests with the glued disks.
• Giveaway: Offering one disk to the audience; email required for entry.

Conclusion

• Project faced multiple challenges but ultimately succeeded in creating metallic glass disks.
• Future plans to explore metallic glass further and potentially tackle other ambitious projects.