Posted on 07/25/2006 8:19:26 PM PDT by neverdem
It flows like a liquid, but push it with enough force and it will stop you right in your tracks.
Research at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory in Aberdeen is at the heart of a new technology that could mean lightweight, flexible armor for U.S. soldiers.
The armor would move more like normal clothing while protecting more of the body, including the joints often left vulnerable by traditional body armor, said Eric Wetzel, a researcher in the Army laboratory's Weapons and Materials Research Directorate.
The liquid armor is actually traditional body armor soaked in a substance known as shear thickening fluid, Wetzel said. The liquid contains nanoparticles too tiny to see but more than big enough to have an impact - and to stop one.
If left alone or moved around at a normal rate, the liquid mimics the movement of water, he noted. However, when faced with a sudden impact, the particles don't have time to get out of each other's way so they lock into place, resisting even the strongest movements.
"That means a material capable of stopping a bullet can now resist even more," Wetzel remarked. He said it is common to combine different armor technologies to create more effective means of protection.
For instance, it can greatly improve the effectiveness of Kevlar, a bulletproof fiber used in the vests of soldiers and police officers. While Kevlar can stop a bullet, it is still just a fiber, meaning thin points such as an ice pick or a hypodermic needle can push past the threads and do what a bullet cannot. Wetzel said Kevlar fiber treated with shear thickening fluid will lock into place and resist such tiny intrusions.
"Together, they're both much stronger than they are apart," Wetzel added.
The combination also means armor manufacturers can reduce the layers of Kevlar needed in vests and other protective garments, so the nano-treated armor also becomes lighter and more flexible as it becomes more resistant.
Lighter, cheaper, stronger. "Weight is the name of the game in anti-ballistic products," said Michael Fox, spokesman for Armor Holdings Inc.
In February, the Florida-based company licensed the liquid armor technology through the University of Delaware. Norman Wagner, a professor of chemical engineering in the school's Center for Composite Research, developed the initial technology and contacted the Army laboratory in 2000 about the possibility of applying the fluid to body armor, Wetzel said. He said it took several years before the lab produced any positive results.
"However, showing it could work is only the first step," Wetzel declared.
The science community proved its potential, Fox said, but now industry has to apply it.
Fox said new and improved body armor is big business, and demand has grown significantly since the United States invaded Iraq in 2003. Recently, California-based Ceradyne Inc. received a five-year, $611 million contract from the U.S. Army for its lightweight ceramic body armor.
Fox said he believed the compelling, promising technology of liquid armor could have a significant effect on the market.
Armor Holdings manufactures and sells a wide variety of armored and protective materials, according to Fox. The company markets to the military, the law enforcement community and other groups that need protection.
Fox said Armor Holdings first intends to market the liquid armor technology to the correctional facility market. The puncture-proof fiber would seem especially vital for prison guards who face threats not from bullets but from homemade knives and other blades, Fox added.
Wetzel said the technology has other possible applications outside of the military and law enforcement markets. For instance, the shear thickening fluid can be used to treat gloves and clothing that could protect health care and sanitation workers from accidental punctures. That would increase the level of safety while also reducing costs associated with injury, he said.
Interesting development......
So we will need to develop slow moving projectiles as a counter measure?
way cool future armor ping.
Very interesting.
This could make a huge difference.
This reminds me of that stuff we used to make out of corn starch and water. It was runny like oatmeal, and you could put your hand into it, but if you punched it, it was hard as a rock.
The Muzzies will really freak at this one. Somebody posted (I believe the person had been or was in Iraq, but it was some time ago and I may be wrong) that our enemies in the ME attribute virtually supernatural powers to US forces. They are convinced that we have all sorts of capabilities that probably would even have been beyond the reach of - oh, say, Batman.
Most armor has trouble stopping a knive or even flechett rounds (darts). Will this be able to stand up to slower, sharp, pointed weapons?
That's the way all oatmeal is. I think that's the reason my ancestors left Scotland, to get away from the oatmeal and the sheep's guts.
Reminds me of that suit in all those Dale Brown novels. Now all we need is the helmet (including intimidating voice modulation/translation) and the mini-jets in the boots.
Very cool. Note to govt: Please divert my portion of my tax dollars from pork barrel projects to development of US troop protection/weapons development.
Bet it gets used in motorcycle clothing before long.
Nano Probe May Open New Window Into Cell Behavior
FReepmail me if you want on or off my health and science ping list.
This biker would wear it, and so would Mr. G.
Very interesting. Thanks for posting.
I suspect my ancestors left the highlands for the same reason!
Isn't everyone glad this guy's name isn't Achmed al Wetzel?
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