Liquid armor
Template:Short description Liquid armor is a material under research by defense institutions and universities around the world including the United States Army Research Laboratory (ARL).[1][2][3] Some of the earliest research in this area was performed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology[4] and University of Delaware[5] in 2003. Liquid armor was initially presented as a way to increase the survivability of soldiers in high risk roles while retaining their mobility, as reported by NPR in an interview with MIT professors and a U.S. admiral.[6]
Typically, it consists of Kevlar that is soaked in one of two fluids - either a shear thickening fluid or a magnetorheological fluid.[7] Both these fluids show the behavior of a non-Newtonian fluid, behaving like a liquid under low or normal pressure and solid under higher pressure or applied fields. The shear thickening fluid is normally made with polyethylene glycol and the solid part is made of nano-particles of silica. This liquid is soaked into all the layers of a Kevlar vest.[8] The magnetorheological fluid consists of magnetic (typically iron) particles in a carrier fluid such as oil. They respond to magnetic fields by increasing in viscosity dramatically, almost acting like a solid.[9]
BAE Systems has been researching a similar Kevlar vest with a fluid between layers of polymer. BAE acquired the US research company Armor Holdings, who were doing research based on suspensions of silica particles.[10][11]
References
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- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Army explores futuristic uniform for SOCOM".
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."How liquid armour 'stops bullets'". BBC News. 9 July 2010.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Poland Developing Liquid Body Armor". 18 March 2019.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Fluid-filled cellular solids for controlled".
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Advanced body armor utilizing shear thickening fluids".
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Special Ops Envisions 'Iron Man'-Like Suit To Protect Troops". NPR.org. Retrieved 2021-06-25.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."How Liquid Body Armor Works". 26 February 2007.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Johnson, Tonya. "Military.com". Military.com. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Iron Man-Like Body Armor for Soldiers in the Works". ABC News.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Gill, Victoria (9 July 2010). "BBC". BBC News. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The Economist". The Economist. 2 August 2010. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
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