CMF – A New Bulletproof Foam That Disintegrates Bullets

Ballistic body armour may well have been revolutionised. This is thanks to a new form of foam called CMF (or composite metal foam) which not only stops bullets in its tracks but completely pulverises them. Even armour piercing bullets, designed specifically to tear through body armour, is unable to penetrate this new foam.

But how is this possible? Foam, a malleable material which we know to generally provide comfort, surely can’t destroy bullets right? This isn’t your average, everyday foam. Standard foam isn’t designed to stop bullets, let alone disintegrate them. No, this foam is made from aerated molten metal.

*Please Note – GB Foam Direct does not stock CMF Metal Foam.

How Is CMF Made?

CMF is different from the foam which most people would be familiar with. CMF is formed from a composite metal substance. The metal is heated to incredibly high temperatures until it turns to molten liquid. At the same time, the molten metal is aerated, which causes the substances to exhibit froth like properties. When this froth cools, the end result is a lightweight, highly durable substance with spongy, foam-like properties.

Looking at CMF in Action

In order to put CMF to the test, North Carolina State ran an experiment in order to see how it would fare against bullet impact. The results were indeed astonishing. The test video below, shows a M2 armour-piercing bullet being fired directly at a sheet of CMF. The entire test was filmed using a high speed camera, and shows the M2 armour-piercing bullet literally being pulverised into dust. Initially it can be seen that the bullet makes a small crater in the material, however it completely disintegrates moments after.

Regarding the test, inventor of CMF Afsaneh Raibei said “ We could stop the bullet at a total thickness of less than an inch, whilst the indentation on the back was less than 8 millimetres”. Raibei even believes that CMF would make for a great car bumper. He states that a collision occurring at 28 miles per hour, would most likely feel more like a collision at 5 miles per hour for those involved.

Due to the uniformed sized air holes in CMF it is much more effective than traditional armoured plate. It has an astonishing ability to absorb much more kinetic energy than its counterpart, whilst also being much lighter and more resistant to heat and radiation.

How Would CMF Hold Up in a War Scenario?

Now you may think that Carolina State could have picked an inferior rifle to test this material. In fact, the rifle which fired the M2 armour-piercing bullet was a .30-06 Springfield. This familiar hunting rifle, was the standard-issue rifle used in World War II. The M2 armour-piercing bullet used, is more than double the size of the standard-issue U.S Army M855 bullet and delivers twice as much energy.

This test shows great promise for the future of ballistic body armour. If applied correctly, this revolutionary material could save countless numbers of lives. It’s light weight, comfortable and most importantly, blows up bullets! You couldn’t really ask for more from body armour.

Foam Cut to Size – A Shot Above The Rest

Remember in almost every action movie ever where people hide behind their sofa for cover from bullet fire? In reality, sofa foam likely wouldn’t provide much protection against bullets at all. But imagine a sofa lined with CMF! Now you’ve got a sofa worthy of an action flick.

Sadly, we can’t line your sofa with CMF, but we can bring new comfort to it thanks to our wide range of foam grades. Our replacement foam cut to size is perfect for bringing sofas back to life, why not take a look?

*Please Note – GB Foam Direct does not stock CMF Metal Foam.