Thought some of you might find this interesting. An atom thick material that's stronger than diamond.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/200907...hy/3268145

Interesting, thanks for the link.

And of course, welcome to the board.

Interesting, thanks for the link.

And of course, welcome to the board.

Brian. What application will we see first? Personal protection (graphine flak jackets, etc.) or computer chips (graphine-based 1000-core processors)?

What kind of bullet would be able to pierce a graphine flak jacket? It will definitely allow LEOs and Soldiers better mobility and or more effective body armour.

Hold tight people. Just as in the past, Interesting things will continue to come along at a faster and faster pace, as the years go by.

And don't even get me started on how quickly Blu-ray became obsolete.

-Wapitikev

Brian. What application will we see first? Personal protection (graphine flak jackets, etc.) or computer chips (graphine-based 1000-core processors)?

Computer and electronic applications . . . most definitely.

Even carbon fiber is still too expensive for every day use.

What kind of bullet would be able to pierce a graphine flak jacket? It will definitely allow LEOs and Soldiers better mobility and or more effective body armour.

So would carbon fiber, but it's still too expensive, and too brittle, so Kevlar and ceramic (actually aluminum oxide -- Al2O3) will still be with us for a long time.

Hold tight people. Just as in the past, Interesting things will continue to come along at a faster and faster pace, as the years go by.

That they will, but because of production costs, it will be a very long time before many of these things come into popular usage.

Kevlar was invented in the '60's and first used to replace steel belts in automobile tires. When I was sailing, it was coming into vogue in racing sails, but the sails wouldn't last more than a few seasons as the fibers would break down because of sunlight and the flogging (flapping) that sails sometimes have to endure. And it too was darned expensive.

Ken V.

If its super stretchy im not sure itd be very good for protection. wouldnt it shoot through you then the bullet would get sling shotted back right? Maybe i dont know what im talking about.

If its super stretchy im not sure itd be very good for protection. wouldnt it shoot through you then the bullet would get sling shotted back right? Maybe i dont know what im talking about.

Firstly -- as I understand it -- it's in the form of a sort of sheet. It has height, width, but virtually no thickness. (Think of super strong, really thin, aluminum foil.)

Kevlar and carbon fiber on the other hand are in the form of a filament, which means that they can be woven into "cloth." This "cloth" can in turn be sewn in layers. That's how bullet-proof vests are actually made -- layers and layers of woven Kevlar cloth . . . sewn together.

If this graphene is as strong as it sounds, it seems unlikely that a needle could pierce a number of layers of it, and it might have to be glued together. If it's glued, I would imagine that you could think of it as a lightweight piece of steel armor plate. It would have no resiliency, and any bullet would shatter against it sending shrapnel in all directions. Kevlar on the other hand has some "give" to it, and therefore absorbs the bullets energy. Of course the wearer absorbs some of that energy as well, but at least you don't have to dig a bullet out of the wearer -- he only gets a bruise. It can be a bad bruise in some instances, but it's still only a bruise.

Current Kevlar vests (if this is what you're referring to) will not withstand penetration from rifle bullets. Interestingly enough, not even bullets from a .22 Magnum. (I don't know about bullets from a .17 HMR (Hornady Magnum Rimfire.) The .17HMR looks like a .22 Magnum that has been necked down slightly. It fires a 17 caliber bullet at a muzzle velocity of around 2,500 feet per second. The bullet weighs 17 grains. Your standard .22 Magnum bullet weighs 40 grains and has a muzzle velocity of 2,000 feet per second.

That's where the ceramic plates come in. They will stop rifle bullets (most of them anyway) after they have been slowed down by the Kevlar.


Hope this helps.

Ken V.

Firstly -- as I understand it -- it's in the form of a sort of sheet. It has height, width, but virtually no thickness. (Think of super strong, really thin, aluminum foil.)

Kevlar and carbon fiber on the other hand are in the form of a filament, which means that they can be woven into "cloth." This "cloth" can in turn be sewn in layers. That's how bullet-proof vests are actually made -- layers and layers of woven Kevlar cloth . . . sewn together.

If this graphene is as strong as it sounds, it seems unlikely that a needle could pierce a number of layers of it, and it might have to be glued together. If it's glued, I would imagine that you could think of it as a lightweight piece of steel armor plate. It would have no resiliency, and any bullet would shatter against it sending shrapnel in all directions. Kevlar on the other hand has some "give" to it, and therefore absorbs the bullets energy. Of course the wearer absorbs some of that energy as well, but at least you don't have to dig a bullet out of the wearer -- he only gets a bruise. It can be a bad bruise in some instances, but it's still only a bruise.

Current Kevlar vests (if this is what you're referring to) will not withstand penetration from rifle bullets. Interestingly enough, not even bullets from a .22 Magnum. (I don't know about bullets from a .17 HMR (Hornady Magnum Rimfire.) The .17HMR looks like a .22 Magnum that has been necked down slightly. It fires a 17 caliber bullet at a muzzle velocity of around 2,500 feet per second. The bullet weighs 17 grains. Your standard .22 Magnum bullet weighs 40 grains and has a muzzle velocity of 2,000 feet per second.

That's where the ceramic plates come in. They will stop rifle bullets (most of them anyway) after they have been slowed down by the Kevlar.


Hope this helps.

Ken V.

Ken, your post got me thinking (yeah, I know--"That's a start, Clueless. Keep it up!"). But remember Doc Smith's great SKYLARK series? Isn't there, in those books, a substance called "isonon" that's virtually inpeneratrable? And doesn't the main hero, Richard Seaton, contrive a rifle that fires a round with enough kinetic energy to kill with concussion alone?

It's been four decades since I read the series, so I could be very wrong here.

But remember Doc Smith's great SKYLARK series?

No.

Isn't there, in those books, a substance called "isonon" that's virtually inpeneratrable? And doesn't the main hero, Richard Seaton, contrive a rifle that fires a round with enough kinetic energy to kill with concussion alone?

I wouldn't know.

Furthermore, I don't care.

I'm more interested in reality.

Ken V.

No.I wouldn't know.

Furthermore, I don't care.

I'm more interested in reality.

Ken V.

Ken, could you please repost the video you had on the Old Board? The one showing you trimming your nostril hairs with a Zippo lighter?

Ken, could you please repost the video you had on the Old Board? The one showing you trimming your nostril hairs with a Zippo lighter?

Are you really that stupid, or are you just pretending?

This is a serious question.

Ken V.