4 ms·
My read of it, given the later moderately successful replication attempts, is that it's probably mostly real, but also actually just significantly less impressi
by Intralexical 3y ago
My read of it, given the later moderately successful replication attempts, is that it's probably mostly real, but also actually just significantly less impressive than it sounds. Most organic materials turn into some form of carbon or ceramic when heated, at which point heat resistance on its own isn't that big of a deal.
- lifthrasiir 3y agoYeah, there are several classified materials that are nonetheless believed to exist and even function as advertised, like FOGBANK [1]. Starlite might be a similar case, given current knowledges. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fogbank https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fogbank
- Intralexical 3y agoIt also might not be better than existing options. Military and aerospace probably want something sturdier, more aerodynamic, and more predictable, while for civilian applications I'm having a hard time thinking of any occasions where you'd want extremely capable but single use heat shielding.
- robertlagrant 3y agoTo my understanding, intumescent paint is great to paint on structural elements of buildings. E.g. a skyscraper's steel frame.
- spiffistan 3y agoA coating for projectiles to be able to withstand the heat from laser weapons would be one with possibly significant impact, given recent announcements.
- thatcat 3y agoThe story of this material is hilarious... Legacy y12 workers were told not to talk to anyone about the process or write anything down, many didn't even understand how the process worked as a whole, eventually enough workers aged out of their jobs and the manufacturing process stopped working and no one could trouble shoot it effectively.