5 ms·
I think it since got surpassed by UHMWPE, which has a tensile strength of ~20GPa. They make cheap body armor out of it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra-hig
by imaginenore 9y ago
I think it since got surpassed by UHMWPE, which has a tensile strength of ~20GPa. They make cheap body armor out of it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra-high-molecular-weight_polyethylene https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultra-high-molecular-weight_po...
- Gravityloss 9y agoOne problem with UHMWPE is it's slippery, so hard to glue to a rigid composite. Also, don't count out the path dependence of even very competitive industries. They know carbon fiber, so that's what they use, and they then make small increments from their known territory.
- owenversteeg 9y agoUHMWPE is a beautiful thing. As easy to cut as wood, you can bend and mold it at temperatures over 300F, and it's strong enough that a 0.9" thick plate can stop bullets. Specifically, by "bullets", I mean a NIJ-0101.06 level III threat. That could be up to 24 shots from an AK-47, FN FAL, or AR-15.