Liquid Armor In Two Flavors
Liquid Armor In Two Flavors: Shear Thickening and Magnetorheological
Liquid armor using shear thickening fluid (STF) is being developed at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory at Aberdeen Proving Grounds. The STF referred to in this article is made up of hard silica particles suspended in polyethylene glycol, a non-toxic fluid. Kevlar fiber vests soaked with STF are pliable under normal conditions:
Not to be outdone, MIT has been working on a form of liquid armor that uses a class of fluids called magnetorheological fluids. They are made up of nanoparticles of iron in a thick oil or syrup suspension. When a magnetic field is applied, the iron particles align and the fluid becomes extremely stiff. The degree of stiffness varies depending on the strength of the field applied. It would be possible to wear comfortable, flexible armor that would become rigid at the flick of a switch.
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The problem with the Magnetic fluid is that it is extremely expensive, and requires a power source. Not practical in battlefield conditions and not economically viable. Also. How would the mechanism be triggered. There may need to be a partial penetration of the round or kinetic force to trigger the fluid. Can it respond and harden fast enough? How about a false positive activation locking up a soldiers mobility by accident. Can’t fight back when you are fucking frozen. MIT is just looking for Guberment Cash. The Shear thickening fluid has the best chance at success. Maybe a composite of Shear and Magnetic fluid in a nano tube format. Like a mesh. This tech is a long way off from being used in the field.
August 26th, 2007 at 10:17 pmI was thinking along the lines, what if the armor failed in an IED attack, would the liquid contaminate wounds?
Sounds fishy to me.
August 27th, 2007 at 5:49 amDan (The Infidel),
Nah, neither of the liquid compounds are nothing near toxic. Actually, it would be very easy to extract the magnetic fluid from a wound if you get my drift. Shit,in fact,they may actually help slow the bleeding. The Shear fluid is embedded in the fiber of Kevlar and is not actually a fluid sack.
August 27th, 2007 at 7:24 pm