Army researchers optimistic about 'liquid armor'.After two decades of research, Army engineers may be getting closer to developing "liquid armor," which one day could be used to make military bulletproof Refers to extremely stable hardware and/or software that cannot be brought down no matter what unusual conditions arise. See industrial strength. bulletproof - Used of an algorithm or implementation considered extremely robust; lossage-resistant; capable of correctly garments. By combining a liquid composite substance-known as shear thickening thick·en·ing n. 1. The act or process of making or becoming thick. 2. Material used to thicken: stir in a thickening of flour and water. 3. A thickened part. fluid--with Kevlar fabric, Army researchers have created a stab resistant material, although It is not yet robust enough to halt bullets. Engineers hope, however, that this liquid armor eventually will be bulletproof, said Eric Wetzel, who heads the project at the Army Research Laboratory. The novel composite material composite material or composite, any material made from at least two discrete substances, such as concrete. Many materials are produced as composites, such as the fiberglass-reinforced plastics used for automobile bodies and boat hulls, but the could provide a more flexible and less bulky alternative to Kevlar fabrics, Wetzel told National Defense. Although this material has been investigated academically for a couple of decades, it is on y now getting renewed attention as the Army struggles to come up with alternatives to heavy ceramic body armor Noun 1. body armor - armor that protects the wearer's whole body body armour, cataphract, coat of mail, suit of armor, suit of armour armet - a medieval helmet with a visor and a neck guard which adds 17 to 24 pounds of extra weight to the average soldier's load. About two years ago, the Army enlisted University of Delaware [3] The student body at the University of Delaware is largely an undergraduate population. Delaware students have a great deal of access to work and internship opportunities. researchers to help with the project. In its current state, the liquid armor combined with four layers of Kevlar fabric cans top an ice pick puncture, Wetzel said. That would make the material potentially useful for prison guards who get stabbed with handmade sharp instruments, for example, Wetzel said. If this technology ever succeeds as an alternative to conventional armor, the Army would use it to protect soldiers' extremities. Currently, soldiers' arms and legs go unprotected because conventional body armor, with ceramic tile inserts, is too bulky and stiff for extremities. The liquid armor could change that, although any breakthroughs are, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Wetzel, "a few years down the road." The shear thickening liquid is a polyethylene glycol polyethylene glycol (PEG): see glycol. that is "very deformable," he noted. When intense pressure is applied, it transitions to a rigid material. which would in theory prevent a bullet from penetrating it. To make liquid armor, the material is soaked into the layers of a Kevlar vest, then handled just like any other fabric. |
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