Liquid body armor
Scientists at the US Army’s Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland have developed a new liquid body armor that is light and flexible, but instantly stiffens upon ballistic impact.
The key component of liquid armor is a shear thickening fluid. The fluid 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 the shear thickening fluid. This combination of flowable and hard components results in a material with unusual properties.
“During normal handling, the [fluid] 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 Soldier’s body,” said Dr. Eric Wetzel, a mechanical engineer from the Weapons and Materials Research Directorate who heads the project team.
The liquid is held in place by being saturated into Kevlar fabric.
This is old news, as the story linked is from April, 2004. I just wasn’t previously aware of it and think it’s cool technology. Also, I find it politically noteworthy that the Bush administration apparently isn’t making any huge effort to put a vest of this stuff on every soldier in Iraq. Noteworthy, but not surprising.
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