JayAtl
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Did you know that Kevlar wasn't originally designed to be a material worn in bulletproof vests?
Neither did I. But Rachel Swaby of Gizmodo recently reported that in fact the material was originally developed 45 years ago by mere accident.
Essentially, in her research Swaby discovered that Dupont was looking for a lightweight, but ultra-strong fiber to replace steel in radial tires and other aspects of the automotive industry. The military also wanted Dupont to develop something to replace steel helmets, because they were too heavy. But the researcher at Dupont, one Stephanie Kwolek, almost didn't follow up on what seemed like an error in her research: a cloudy solution.
Swaby writes, "[Kwolek] designed a solvent to make the long chains of molecules more stable, but the solution kept coming up cloudy. The best scientific knowledge of the time said that cloudy solutions were trash, but when batch after batch kept coming up murky, Kwolek figured she'd ignore the conventional wisdom and see if she could coax a fiber out of the stuff. She could. That cloudiness turned out to be a signal of strength. She had discovered a material lighter than steel, but five times as strong."
After Kwolek discovered this material in 1965, an Army office by the name of Nick Montanrelli heard that the Army was testing it in tires in 1971. He got some of the material, wrapped it around a phone book, and discovered the bullets didn't damage the book at all. Ultimately, the Army took this material and tested its ability to protect goats from sustaining injuries from bullets, which is how it became incorporated into vests and flak jackets.
Weapon and Technology: Kevlar Almost Didn't Happen
Neither did I. But Rachel Swaby of Gizmodo recently reported that in fact the material was originally developed 45 years ago by mere accident.
Essentially, in her research Swaby discovered that Dupont was looking for a lightweight, but ultra-strong fiber to replace steel in radial tires and other aspects of the automotive industry. The military also wanted Dupont to develop something to replace steel helmets, because they were too heavy. But the researcher at Dupont, one Stephanie Kwolek, almost didn't follow up on what seemed like an error in her research: a cloudy solution.
Swaby writes, "[Kwolek] designed a solvent to make the long chains of molecules more stable, but the solution kept coming up cloudy. The best scientific knowledge of the time said that cloudy solutions were trash, but when batch after batch kept coming up murky, Kwolek figured she'd ignore the conventional wisdom and see if she could coax a fiber out of the stuff. She could. That cloudiness turned out to be a signal of strength. She had discovered a material lighter than steel, but five times as strong."
After Kwolek discovered this material in 1965, an Army office by the name of Nick Montanrelli heard that the Army was testing it in tires in 1971. He got some of the material, wrapped it around a phone book, and discovered the bullets didn't damage the book at all. Ultimately, the Army took this material and tested its ability to protect goats from sustaining injuries from bullets, which is how it became incorporated into vests and flak jackets.
Weapon and Technology: Kevlar Almost Didn't Happen
