Army Scientists, Engineers develop Liquid Body Armor

[cucumber]

Originally posted by: Raj
making our soldiers more efficient killers.

gotta love this country.

What the hell do you think soldiers do? If they aren't capable of killing, they're just a bunch of useless
idiots standing around getting shot.

Regardless if you think a war is right or wrong, I'd rather have more troops survive to come home than less.

 

[DJFuji]

Originally posted by: Dissipate
Interesting. I wonder if it could stop a .50 caliber machine gun round.

I'd put my money on NO. Even if it could stop the penetration, the impact would probably still kill you. That's why the geneva convention says you're not allowed to use the M2 as an anti-personnel weapon.

"I was aiming for the radio on his back..."

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Originally posted by: DJ Fuji

I'd put my money on NO. Even if it could stop the penetration, the impact would probably still kill you. That's why the geneva convention says you're not allowed to use the M2 as an anti-personnel weapon.

"I was aiming for the radio on his back..."

That's not actually true (the Geneva Convention portion of the post, that is), and I'm not sure what is the source of that misconception. I have actually attended a two-week law of war/Geneva Convention workshop at the Army JAG school, in addition to various Air Force mobility law training, and this subject has come up more than once. There is nothing illegal about using .50 cal ammo against personnel. As a general matter, the weapons that are illegal are those that cause unnecessary cruelty, and the .50 cal does not fall into that category. Many military trainers incorrectly believe this old wive's tale, which I guess is the reason it is perpetuated.

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: CanOWorms

Sagalore:
Maybe that's what I'm thinking of, carbon composite. All I know is that there is a carbon material that is basically weaved and is strong as steal but very light.

That's carbon nanotubes, which currently cost about $300/gram

Do you understand these values? Those are, of course, general values for the average composite. In tension, VascoMax C-350 steel is stronger, but maraging steels are relatively exotic. Not many other steels have properties besting those of carbon fiber in compression or tension.

 

[rgwalt]

Originally posted by: midnightrat
Wow, this is a seriously cool invention. I wonder if it has anything to do with transforming the heat from the bullet impact to harden the liquid armor?

Also what happens to the armor afterwards? Does it stay in the ridgid form or does is return to it's liquid state? If it stays ridgid that could be difficult for the soldier who gets hit in the leg or arm since the armor would stiffen up and restict movement.

I can see it now, someone carrying a load of liquid armor shirts or pants nicely folded tripping and the sudden impact of him/her landing on the stack of clothing triggers the armor to go ridgid.

Shear thickening fluids become more viscous, and in some cases go completely solid under increasing shearing forces. When the bullet hits the armor, the fluid will go ridgid due to the rate of shearing force that is induced. This will, in turn, stop the bullet. Once the shearing force is no longer applied, the armor will soften back to its original state. When combined with Kevlar, I think this stuff will be puncture resistant, even in a knife fight. A knife does travel slower than a bullet, but it still travels pretty fast with a decent amount of force behind it. If someone is attacking you with a knife, they aren't going for a slow, steady push. They are going for a quick, forceful stab.

Add some cornstarch to water. That mixture is a shear thickening fluid. Experiment with it. Remember that the new body armor will use a kevlar substrate to support the STF.

My only concern is on how much the STF will flow. I can imagine the STF flowing down the vertical sections of the body armor and pooling at the lowest points. Remember, not only is this a fluid, it is a suspension. So, even if the fluid doesn't flow, the particles in suspension might. Or, it could be the other way around... The fluid could flow and pool up, leaving microparticles embedded in the kevlar substrate, which would render the STF aspect of the armor ineffective. Getting some of these issues worked out can't be easy.

Ryan

 

[Cable God]

I'd like to get in on the IPO of THAT company.....