Kevlar's replacement has arrived. Thanks to University of Texas, Dallas

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Kevlar's replacement has arrived. Thanks to University of Texas, Dallas

Posted: 8/22/2005 10:33:52 AM EDT

www.betterhumans.com/News/1123/Default.aspx

Dawning of the carbon age?
Nanotube breakthroughs promise everything from durable prosthetics to lightweight bulletproof jackets
Rating: 4/5 | Comments: 2
Print 08.21.2005 @11:16 AM
Contributed by Virulent
Edited by Simon

Two new developments with carbon nanotubes could soon make many nanotechnology possibilities a reality.

In the first, carbon nanotubes have been created in large sheets by Ray Baughman, a chemist from the University of Texas at Dallas.

Uses of the new material range from durable prosthetics to lightweight bulletproof jackets to a new aerospace material.

According to a Nature News report:

Large, transparent sheets of carbon nanotubes can now be produced at lightning speed. The new technique should allow the nanotubes to be used in commercial devices from heated car windows to flexible television screens.

There is also another side effect

In the second recent development, Y-shaped carbon nanotubes grown with iron-titanium particles have been found to act as remarkably efficient transistors that are 100 times smaller than current day transistors.

According to a New Scientist report:

Tiny tubes of carbon, crafted into the shape of a Y, could revolutionise the computer industry, suggests new research.

The work has shown that Y-shaped carbon nanotubes are easily made and act as remarkably efficient electronic transistors - the toggles used to control the flow of electrons through computer circuits.

But the nanotransistors are just a few hundred millionths of a metre in size -roughly 100 times smaller than the components used in today’s microprocessors. They could, therefore, be used to create microchips several orders of magnitude more powerful than the ones used in computers today, with no increase in chip size.

What we are looking at here is a bulletproof vest the same size and weight as a IBV that will stop RIFLE bullets. Hard plates would be needed only to stop backface deformation (having the fabric armor driven into your flesh) and those plates, could be made out of the same Carbon fabric just glued into laminated plates or baked in to RCC plates.

Posted: 8/22/2005 10:53:32 AM EDT

[#1]

Parachute fabric??

Posted: 8/22/2005 10:58:23 AM EDT

[#2]

Condoms that will withstand my awesome maleness.

Posted: 8/22/2005 11:01:17 AM EDT

[#3]

Quoted:
Condoms that will withstand my awesome maleness.

Well, they can build them small enough for you now.

Posted: 8/22/2005 11:01:51 AM EDT

[#4]

This technology combined with Sheer Thickening Fluid (liquid body armor) would make a great combination.

Posted: 8/22/2005 11:03:51 AM EDT

[#5]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Condoms that will withstand my awesome maleness.

Well, they can build them small enough for you now.

The funniest thing I have read all day. . . .

Posted: 8/22/2005 11:08:05 AM EDT

[#6]

Thin, superstrong body armor with that would be impervious to ballistic round up to, idk, let's say .50bmg is definetly within the realm of possiblities with CNTs especially if they can get the process to the point that they have cross linking nanotubes instead of their current 'tangle' extrusion process.

But the bigger application, is if they can continue to develop this technology with longer individual nanotubes, say, 5cms, we have a workable space elevator material and, bam, it suddenly becomes cheaper to put payloads inot low Earth orbit then it is to air mail them over the Pacific.

Welcome to the begining of the end of the rocket.

Posted: 8/22/2005 11:12:42 AM EDT

[#7]

Not only can my body armor stop a 155mm shell, its 100 million times smarter than me too!

Posted: 8/22/2005 11:14:10 AM EDT

[#8]

Quoted:
Thin, superstrong body armor with that would be impervious to ballistic round up to, idk, let's say .50bmg is definetly within the realm of possiblities with CNTs especially if they can get the process to the point that they have cross linking nanotubes instead of their current 'tangle' extrusion process.

But the bigger application, is if they can continue to develop this technology with longer individual nanotubes, say, 5cms, we have a workable space elevator material and, bam, it suddenly becomes cheaper to put payloads inot low Earth orbit then it is to air mail them over the Pacific.

Welcome to the begining of the end of the rocket.

How about a wraparound armor sheet for APCs, HUMMVEEs, tanks etc?

Deployable ballistic foxhole?

Posted: 8/22/2005 11:16:56 AM EDT

[#9]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Thin, superstrong body armor with that would be impervious to ballistic round up to, idk, let's say .50bmg is definetly within the realm of possiblities with CNTs especially if they can get the process to the point that they have cross linking nanotubes instead of their current 'tangle' extrusion process.

But the bigger application, is if they can continue to develop this technology with longer individual nanotubes, say, 5cms, we have a workable space elevator material and, bam, it suddenly becomes cheaper to put payloads inot low Earth orbit then it is to air mail them over the Pacific.

Welcome to the begining of the end of the rocket.

How about a wraparound armor sheet for APCs, HUMMVEEs, tanks etc?

Deployable ballistic foxhole?

Actually for vehicle armor, CN has something better.

CN conducts electricity, better than copper.

You could build the electric armor boxes out of this and get much better protection against KE rounds than the thin steel in current experimental units, while conducting the electrical charge that disrupts the Monroe Effect jet from HEAT rounds with less energy loss and less heat build up.

Posted: 8/22/2005 11:40:50 AM EDT

[#10]

Quoted:
Thin, superstrong body armor with that would be impervious to ballistic round up to, idk, let's say .50bmg is definetly within the realm of possiblities with CNTs especially if they can get the process to the point that they have cross linking nanotubes instead of their current 'tangle' extrusion process.

But the bigger application, is if they can continue to develop this technology with longer individual nanotubes, say, 5cms, we have a workable space elevator material and, bam, it suddenly becomes cheaper to put payloads inot low Earth orbit then it is to air mail them over the Pacific.

Welcome to the begining of the end of the rocket.

Space Elevator is nice...

However the same material that would make that possible, would also make a SSTO spacecraft possible...

The USA Today article about this has this quote from a researcher:

Future applications that scientists have discussed include creating artificial muscles whose movement is electrically charged, or race cars with stronger, lighter bodies that could also serve as batteries, says chemist Andrew Barron of Rice University in Houston.

"We could see this on Formula 1 (racing) cars by next season, says Barron. "This is a jumping-off point for a technology a lot of people will pursue."

If there is sufficent quantity available by this winter to start laying up F-1 car tubs than that means there is sufficent available to fix the nose and wing leading edges on the Space Shuttle. A leading edge made from CN/RCC might survive a impact like breached the existing RCC edge on Columbia..

Posted: 8/22/2005 11:42:40 AM EDT

[#11]

Quoted:
Condoms that will withstand my awesome maleness.

They are making great advances in Nano technology..........

Posted: 8/22/2005 11:42:54 AM EDT

[#12]

Still waiting for mass produced sipidersilk armor.

Posted: 8/22/2005 11:44:09 AM EDT

[#13]

Quoted:
Still waiting for mass produced sipidersilk armor.

Why?

CN is about 5 times stronger.

Posted: 8/22/2005 11:50:18 AM EDT

[#14]

tag

Posted: 8/22/2005 11:50:43 AM EDT

[#15]

I think its great how having a war economy is creating all kinds of breakthroughs in different fields. WAR IS GOOD!

Posted: 8/22/2005 12:05:59 PM EDT

[#16]

Quoted:
I think its great how having a war economy is creating all kinds of breakthroughs in different fields. WAR IS GOOD!

As much as I would like to agree with you, I really cant on this one. They have been trying to get this material made for about 15 years or so. As valuable as it is for body armor, and aircraft airframes and such there has not been a lot of DoD spending on this. Its just so valuable for such a wide range of uses that EVERYONE is throwing money at it, additional money from the Pentagon was really not needed.

Posted: 8/22/2005 12:26:52 PM EDT

[#17]

Quoted:
Quoted:
I think its great how having a war economy is creating all kinds of breakthroughs in different fields. WAR IS GOOD!

As much as I would like to agree with you, I really cant on this one. They have been trying to get this material made for about 15 years or so. As valuable as it is for body armor, and aircraft airframes and such there has not been a lot of DoD spending on this. Its just so valuable for such a wide range of uses that EVERYONE is throwing money at it, additional money from the Pentagon was really not needed.

Yes, this technology is an offshoot of Fullerene, or Bucky balls that have been around for years and Named after Buckminster Fuller, inventor of the geodesic dome.
They've been trying to figure out how to make the bucky balls into a usefull material. Nanotubes were the first step, this is the second.

Posted: 8/22/2005 12:31:43 PM EDT

[#18]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
I think its great how having a war economy is creating all kinds of breakthroughs in different fields. WAR IS GOOD!

As much as I would like to agree with you, I really cant on this one. They have been trying to get this material made for about 15 years or so. As valuable as it is for body armor, and aircraft airframes and such there has not been a lot of DoD spending on this. Its just so valuable for such a wide range of uses that EVERYONE is throwing money at it, additional money from the Pentagon was really not needed.

Yes, this technology is an offshoot of Fullerene, or Bucky balls that have been around for years and Named after Buckminster Fuller, inventor of the geodesic dome.
They've been trying to figure out how to make the bucky balls into a usefull material. Nanotubes were the first step, this is the second.

I'm still waiting for them to lubricate my car's engine with bucky balls.

Posted: 8/22/2005 12:32:46 PM EDT

[#19]

Cool, but wake me when we have Landmates.

Posted: 8/22/2005 12:34:55 PM EDT

[#20]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Condoms that will withstand my awesome maleness.

They are making great advances in Nano technology..........

More like micro technology.

Posted: 8/22/2005 12:43:19 PM EDT

[#21]

blah blah blah.......

i still don't have my flying car yet.

Posted: 8/22/2005 12:48:06 PM EDT

[#22]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
I think its great how having a war economy is creating all kinds of breakthroughs in different fields. WAR IS GOOD!

As much as I would like to agree with you, I really cant on this one. They have been trying to get this material made for about 15 years or so. As valuable as it is for body armor, and aircraft airframes and such there has not been a lot of DoD spending on this. Its just so valuable for such a wide range of uses that EVERYONE is throwing money at it, additional money from the Pentagon was really not needed.

Yes, this technology is an offshoot of Fullerene, or Bucky balls that have been around for years and Named after Buckminster Fuller, inventor of the geodesic dome.
They've been trying to figure out how to make the bucky balls into a usefull material. Nanotubes were the first step, this is the second.

I'm still waiting for them to lubricate my car's engine with bucky balls.

Still too expensive...but snff around the F1 paddock and you might be surprised..

Posted: 8/22/2005 1:15:16 PM EDT

[#23]

The problem with nanotubes is that they cost $500/gram to produce, last time I checked. As to armor, the future is already here, with ONNEX armor.

Excera creates ONNEX by infusing a ceramic material with liquid aluminum, and company officials originally intended it for use in high-temperature applications such as brake rotors and rocket motor impellers. The material exhibits the high hardness of boron carbide, but it also demonstrates fracture toughness 10times that of other pressed ceramic materials. The hardness of an ONNEX armor plate will shatter and stop a striking bullet, and because the materials fracture toughness confines damage to a small area, the armor can tolerate multiple strikes to the same region. To complete the panel design, the AFRL/Excera team reinforced the ONNEX material with a ballistic backing made from DyneemaÂ®polyethylene fiber and an elastomeric polyurethane coating. The ONNEX based SAPI is lighter and less expensive than currently deployed systems.

In some of the early testing a plate 1/8 inch thick stopped multiple hits with M855. It's $400 cheaper to make than the current SAPI plates and I think it will put every other armor company out of buisness.

Posted: 8/22/2005 1:18:25 PM EDT

[#24]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Condoms that will withstand my awesome maleness.

They are making great advances in Nano technology..........

More like micro technology.

Nanotechnology deals with smaller stuff than microtechnology.

I read some journals on this in high school, great stuff, good to see it's moving past theory and the lab.

Posted: 8/22/2005 1:26:05 PM EDT

[#25]

Quoted:
The problem with nanotubes is that they cost $500/gram to produce, last time I checked. As to armor, the future is already here, with ONNEX armor.

Excera creates ONNEX by infusing a ceramic material with liquid aluminum, and company officials originally intended it for use in high-temperature applications such as brake rotors and rocket motor impellers. The material exhibits the high hardness of boron carbide, but it also demonstrates fracture toughness 10times that of other pressed ceramic materials. The hardness of an ONNEX armor plate will shatter and stop a striking bullet, and because the materials fracture toughness confines damage to a small area, the armor can tolerate multiple strikes to the same region. To complete the panel design, the AFRL/Excera team reinforced the ONNEX material with a ballistic backing made from DyneemaÂ®polyethylene fiber and an elastomeric polyurethane coating. The ONNEX based SAPI is lighter and less expensive than currently deployed systems.

In some of the early testing a plate 1/8 inch thick stopped multiple hits with M855. It's $400 cheaper to make than the current SAPI plates and I think it will put every other armor company out of buisness.

CN is not going to stay $500 a gram for very long. Especally now. And while ONNEX may be good it still is a hard plate and CN fabric is flexable. You can lay it up to make laminates that would still be semi-flexible (like in Kevlar helmets), or bake a laminate to make RCC, or use it in a pressed ceramic matrix, or mix loose CN fibers in Aluminum to make fiber reenforced Aluminum armor..

Posted: 8/22/2005 1:26:39 PM EDT

[#26]

Quoted:
The problem with nanotubes is that they cost $500/gram to produce, last time I checked. As to armor, the future is already here, with ONNEX armor.

Excera creates ONNEX by infusing a ceramic material with liquid aluminum, and company officials originally intended it for use in high-temperature applications such as brake rotors and rocket motor impellers. The material exhibits the high hardness of boron carbide, but it also demonstrates fracture toughness 10times that of other pressed ceramic materials. The hardness of an ONNEX armor plate will shatter and stop a striking bullet, and because the materials fracture toughness confines damage to a small area, the armor can tolerate multiple strikes to the same region. To complete the panel design, the AFRL/Excera team reinforced the ONNEX material with a ballistic backing made from DyneemaÂ®polyethylene fiber and an elastomeric polyurethane coating. The ONNEX based SAPI is lighter and less expensive than currently deployed systems.

In some of the early testing a plate 1/8 inch thick stopped multiple hits with M855. It's $400 cheaper to make than the current SAPI plates and I think it will put every other armor company out of buisness.

Do you have a connection with Excera?

Posted: 8/22/2005 2:34:02 PM EDT

[#27]

Quoted:
Thin, superstrong body armor with that would be impervious to ballistic round up to, idk, let's say .50bmg

Once you get to a certain mass, the problem isn't penetration... it's kinetic energy.

"X" number of foot pounds will still rip up your guts, even if it doesn't break the skin.

Posted: 8/22/2005 2:38:05 PM EDT

[#28]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Thin, superstrong body armor with that would be impervious to ballistic round up to, idk, let's say .50bmg

Once you get to a certain mass, the problem isn't penetration... it's kinetic energy.

"X" number of foot pounds will still rip up your guts, even if it doesn't break the skin.

Thats what the trauma pads are for.

But you can get that by using the same CN fabric in a laminated panel. It would still be semi-flexable.

Posted: 8/22/2005 2:43:16 PM EDT

[#29]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Thin, superstrong body armor with that would be impervious to ballistic round up to, idk, let's say .50bmg is definetly within the realm of possiblities with CNTs especially if they can get the process to the point that they have cross linking nanotubes instead of their current 'tangle' extrusion process.

But the bigger application, is if they can continue to develop this technology with longer individual nanotubes, say, 5cms, we have a workable space elevator material and, bam, it suddenly becomes cheaper to put payloads inot low Earth orbit then it is to air mail them over the Pacific.

Welcome to the begining of the end of the rocket.

Space Elevator is nice...

However the same material that would make that possible, would also make a SSTO spacecraft possible...

The USA Today article about this has this quote from a researcher:
Future applications that scientists have discussed include creating artificial muscles whose movement is electrically charged, or race cars with stronger, lighter bodies that could also serve as batteries, says chemist Andrew Barron of Rice University in Houston.

"We could see this on Formula 1 (racing) cars by next season, says Barron. "This is a jumping-off point for a technology a lot of people will pursue."

If there is sufficent quantity available by this winter to start laying up F-1 car tubs than that means there is sufficent available to fix the nose and wing leading edges on the Space Shuttle. A leading edge made from CN/RCC might survive a impact like breached the existing RCC edge on Columbia..

I don't know F-1 is at least on par with NASA now, becuase teams like Ferrari have to make there investments acctuly work to keep getting paid, NASA doesn't.

Posted: 8/22/2005 3:01:48 PM EDT

[#30]

tag

Posted: 8/22/2005 3:18:57 PM EDT

[#31]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Condoms that will withstand my awesome maleness.

Well, they can build them small enough for you now.[/quote

--------------------------------------------------------------------

If you build it they will cum.

Posted: 8/22/2005 9:14:28 PM EDT

[#32]

The future is already here.

It just isn't equally distributed.

(Bruce Sterling, I believe.)

That is too cool.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Kevlar's replacement has arrived. Thanks to University of Texas, Dallas

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