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Army scientists, engineers develop liquid body armor
Army News Service ^
| April 21, 2004
| Tonya Johnson
Posted on 04/22/2004 2:47:46 PM PDT by O.C. - Old Cracker
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. (Army News Service, April 21, 2004) -- Liquid armor for Kevlar vests is one of the newest technologies being developed at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory to save Soldiers' lives.
This type of body armor is light and flexible, which allows soldiers to be more mobile and wont hinder an individual from running or aiming his or her weapon.
![](http://www4.army.mil/ocpa/uploads/medium/Kevlar-STF2004-04-21.jpg)
The key component of liquid armor is a shear thickening fluid. STF is composed of hard particles suspended in a liquid. The liquid, polyethylene glycol, is non-toxic, and can withstand a wide range of temperatures. Hard, nano-particles of silica are the other components of STF. This combination of flowable and hard components results in a material with unusual properties.
During normal handling, the STF is very deformable and flows like a liquid. However, once a bullet or frag hits the vest, it transitions to a rigid material, which prevents the projectile from penetrating the Soldiers body, said Dr. Eric Wetzel, a mechanical engineer from the Weapons and Materials Research Directorate who heads the project team.
To make liquid armor, STF is soaked into all layers of the Kevlar vest. The Kevlar fabric holds the STF in place, and also helps to stop the bullet. The saturated fabric can be soaked, draped, and sewn just like any other fabric.
Wetzel and his team have been working on this technology with Dr. Norman J. Wagner and his students from the University of Delaware for three years.
The goal of the technology is to create a new material that is low cost and lightweight which offers equivalent or superior ballistic properties as compared to current Kevlar fabric, but has more flexibility and less thickness, said Wetzel. This technology has a lot of potential.
Liquid armor is still undergoing laboratory tests, but Wetzel is enthusiastic about other applications that the technology might be applied to.
The skys the limit, said Wetzel. We would first like to put this material in a soldiers sleeves and pants, areas that arent protected by ballistic vests but need to remain flexible. We could also use this material for bomb blankets, to cover suspicious packages or unexploded ordnance. Liquid armor could even be applied to jump boots, so that they would stiffen during impact to support Soldiers' ankles.
In addition to saving Soldiers' lives, Wetzel said liquid armor in Kevlar vests could help those who work in law enforcement.
Prison guards and police officers could also benefit from this technology, said Wetzel. Liquid armor is much more stab resistant than conventional body armor. This capability is especially important for prison guards, who are most often attacked with handmade sharp weapons.
For their work on liquid armor, Wetzel and his team were awarded the 2002 Paul A. Siple Award, the Armys highest award for scientific achievement, at the Army Science Conference.
(Editors note: Tonya Johnson is a member of the Army Research Laboratory Public Affairs Office.)
TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bang; bodyarmor; kevlar; miltech
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To: O.C. - Old Cracker
"Liquid armor"
I'll drink to that!
2
posted on
04/22/2004 2:53:08 PM PDT
by
adam_az
(Call your state Republican party office and VOLUNTEER FOR A CAMPAIGN!!!)
To: O.C. - Old Cracker
My version of "liquid armor"
Tequila!!!
3
posted on
04/22/2004 2:56:48 PM PDT
by
cavtrooper21
(Knowledge is power, power corrupts... So study hard and be evil.)
To: O.C. - Old Cracker
Cool!
I'm still waiting for them to invent plasma or phaser rifles.
4
posted on
04/22/2004 2:57:42 PM PDT
by
Shaun_MD
(Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges - In Times of War, The Law will be Silent - Cicero)
To: O.C. - Old Cracker; archy; Travis McGee
they were playing with this idea a few years ago, for protective padding for people with frail hips - IIRC the suspension was water and corn starch.
no, I am not kidding - it is exactly that simple.
mix up some yourself and see
under a gentle touch, the mix is highly plastic
under a hammerblow, it becomes rigid and transfers impact forces laterally.
5
posted on
04/22/2004 2:59:40 PM PDT
by
King Prout
(poets and philosophers should NEVER pretend to Engineering... especially SOCIAL Engineering!)
To: O.C. - Old Cracker
Sounds like the stuff Stretch Armstrong was made of. Remember how you could stretch him all kinds of ways but would break your knuckles if you punched him?
To: O.C. - Old Cracker
The key component of liquid armor is a shear thickening fluid.
Kind'a like ketchup?
7
posted on
04/22/2004 3:02:00 PM PDT
by
scan59
To: O.C. - Old Cracker
Sounds like a good material for a knee brace - think Joe Theisman. ;-)
8
posted on
04/22/2004 3:02:28 PM PDT
by
glorgau
To: Shaun_MD
They already have 'em!
check THIS out
9
posted on
04/22/2004 3:05:19 PM PDT
by
Mudcat
To: King Prout
Leave it to me to spot a potential flaw.
It would seem that the more stress the soldier was under,
the harder and more rigid the armor would become.
If he were shot or took a serious blow, would he not
become immobilized? It would seem to restrict movement under excessive stress.
Don't laugh at me if I'm wrong - I failed physics. ;)
10
posted on
04/22/2004 3:05:47 PM PDT
by
Shaun_MD
(Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges - In Times of War, The Law will be Silent - Cicero)
To: King Prout
"water and corn starch"
It becomes like cement when mixed. but how do you keep the separated and when mixed how do you mix the right about in an instant like that?
To: Coop
ping
12
posted on
04/22/2004 3:06:28 PM PDT
by
patton
(I wish we could all look at the evil of abortion with the pure, honest heart of a child.)
To: billbears
Any estimate on how long it'll take before Robert Zoellick exports this American textile technology to China?
To: cavtrooper21
Tequila make you 9 feet tall and invisible!
regards - red
14
posted on
04/22/2004 3:07:30 PM PDT
by
rednek
(if it isn't large caliber, it isn't worth carrying)
To: cavtrooper21
Tequila!!!Absolutely... In my youth, four shots and I was convinced I was bulletproof.
To: Mudcat
"They already have 'em!"
Oh yeah!
God I'd love to own one of those babies.
16
posted on
04/22/2004 3:09:03 PM PDT
by
Shaun_MD
(Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges - In Times of War, The Law will be Silent - Cicero)
To: TN4Liberty
If we give this to china, they will become unstopable :(
To: All
Does anyone remember a few years back, when a Japanese
Scientist invented a suit that made you near invisible?
18
posted on
04/22/2004 3:10:49 PM PDT
by
Shaun_MD
(Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges - In Times of War, The Law will be Silent - Cicero)
To: cavtrooper21
Tequila!!! I'll second that. Whenever I get snookered on tequila...I become bullet proof.
19
posted on
04/22/2004 3:11:15 PM PDT
by
Bloody Sam Roberts
(ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,Election '04...It's going to be a bumpy ride,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø)
To: Steve Van Doorn
don't mix them that thickly.
I cannot remember the proportions, but it is a very WET mix
20
posted on
04/22/2004 3:14:59 PM PDT
by
King Prout
(poets and philosophers should NEVER pretend to Engineering... especially SOCIAL Engineering!)
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