The Cutting Edge: Computing / Technology / Innovation : Using Sound to Create Tough Glass

The image of Ella Fitzgerald shattering glasses with her voice in the old Memorex commercials may need some revision. Researchers at Alfred University’s Glass Science Institute, in Alfred, N.Y., have discovered that certain high-frequency sound waves can actually strengthen glass.

When glass is coated with a chemical containing potassium and then bathed in sound waves, a chemical reaction occurs in which small atoms such as sodium are removed from the glass and replaced by larger potassium atoms. The space taken up by the potassium atoms forces any cracks in the surface of the glass to close, resulting in glass that is up to five times stronger than usual.

While the Albany scientists now use high-energy waves to strengthen glass, they began by bombarding glass with stereo recordings of Madonna, opera and Chinese classical music. Operatic tenor Luciano Pavarotti’s voice was not as effective, it turned out, as the higher frequencies of female singers such as Madonna.

Replacing hounds with high-tech: A big problem for rescue workers after an earthquake is locating survivors trapped beneath tons of rubble. Dogs can’t sniff out those too deeply buried, and lowering a microphone to detect noise only works if the victim is conscious enough to make a sound.

Using a grant from the National Science Foundation, Prof. Kun-Mu Chen at Michigan State University has developed a way of detecting a victim by finding his heartbeat. Somewhat like an EKG, Chen’s device uses an electromagnetic radio wave that penetrates the rubble and bounces back when it locates the low-frequency heartbeat. The device will undergo field tests this summer. Other applications could include locating victims of mine disasters and those buried in an avalanche.

Tending the home turf: Like any homeowner fretting over his or her lawn, World Cup USA, organizer of the World Cup soccer championships to be played in the United States this summer, has grass on the brain. To assure that playing fields across the country--from New Jersey to Pasadena--are as uniform as possible, World Cup has appointed two turf experts to oversee all the venues.

Armed with a 10-foot ramp, Stephen Cockerham, superintendent of agricultural operations at UC Riverside, and James Watson, vice president emeritus for lawn mower maker Toro Co., will measure the bounce, roll distance and deflection of a soccer ball on the various fields.

The Rose Bowl, where the final game will be played, will serve as the standard. The Brinkman Traffic Simulator--a six-foot steel cylinder with projectiles to simulate cleated shoes--will be dragged across the grass to test for resilience. Then the turf technicians will use rollers, fertilizer, mowers and water to bring the World Cup fields up to world-class perfection.

Barney does e-mail: Have you ever wanted to exchange electronic mail with columnist Dave Barry, actor Ed Asner or David Gerrold, the voice of Barney the dinosaur?

Then E-Mail Addresses of the Rich and Famous is the book for you. Published by Addison Wesley, the 150-page paperback includes the e-mail addresses of nearly 1,000 politicians, authors, academics, reporters and high-tech types such as Bill Gates and Steve Jobs.

The authors of the book, which will go on sale May 20 for $7.95 at bookstores nationwide, tried to weed out obvious network impostors, including several individuals claiming to be shock jock Howard Stern.

Swimming like dolphins: Chaos theory has been used to describe everything from weather patterns to the stock market. Now a researcher at UC San Diego says it can also describe how dolphins lessen water resistance when they swim. The results could offer insights for the design of both submarines and airplanes.

Some scientists believe that dolphins lessen surface drag on their bodies by vibrating their skin, which is etched in parallel ridges. These tiny changes to the boundary layer--the quarter-inch layer of fluid closest to the dolphin--can have an enormous effect on surface resistance.

Using the tools of chaos theory, Henry Abarbanel, professor of physics and director of the Institute for Nonlinear Science, has come up with a mathematical model to describe how turbulent structures are formed in the boundary layer.