Bomb-Proof Wallpaper Developed 388
MikeChino writes "Working in partnership with the US Army Corp of Engineers, Berry Plastics has rolled out a new breed of bomb-proof wallpaper. Dubbed the X-Flex Blast Protection System, the wallpaper is so effective that a single layer can keep a wrecking ball from smashing through a brick wall, and a double layer can stop blunt objects (i.e. a flying 2×4) from knocking down drywall. According to its designers, covering an entire room takes less than an hour."
Idle? (Score:5, Insightful)
Kevlar (Score:4, Insightful)
It looks like it's just self-stick Kevlar. So it's going to be hideously expensive. However, maybe the Army overpaying for it will help them find advanced production methods to cut costs and benefit us in the long run. But then what? Possible uses: line car gas/hydrogen tanks with it. But aside from that and protecting masonry walls from disintegrating in an explosion, I can't see any practical use. As a commenter on the article site said, what if this is a load bearing wall? Looks like it would just fold up and take the building with it. Great, no shrapnel, I get it. But as cool a future would be where every building is bomb proof, I don't see it happening before a nanotech alternative that's self-healing and much better at linear support.
Wallpaper anchored in demo (Score:5, Insightful)
Well, it certainly looks interesting, but in the video the wallpaper was anchored very securely at the top and bottom of the test wall. I'd like to see how it does with only the sticky backing of the product itself keeping it on the wall.
Re:Kevlar (Score:0, Insightful)
Here's a hint: Not everything developed in this world is for YOU.
Re:Kevlar (Score:3, Insightful)
But as cool a future would be where every building is bomb proof, ...
Then they'll just make bigger bombs. If Greek and Roman armies never used leather and chain mail armor, people would still (?) be robbing liquor stores with bows and arrows.
Re:Forget bombs, think hurricanes and tornados! (Score:5, Insightful)
What raises the roof is simply the shape of the roof. It causes lift that pulls it off the house. (Yes, that is a pressure differential, but not in the sense most people mean.) It is not interior pressure blowing the roof off, nor massive negative pressure outside "sucking" the roof off. It is simple aerodynamic lift.
Re:Forget bombs, think hurricanes and tornados! (Score:1, Insightful)
If this can stop projectiles from penetrating the wall, then think about the protection it could offer from tornados and hurricanes.
This was my first thought (too?). When in university in the early '90s, the institution I attended had a wind chamber and was investigating the effects of cyclone (southern Pacific - Hurricanes or Typhoons for everyone else) damage. I remembered being shocked to see that a piece of 2x4 wood travelling at cyclonic speeds could penetrate a brick wall. If you live in an area prone to these conditions and have seen the effect, you'd be considering the cost of it versus the chance of protecting yourself, your families and hopefully even your house...
Might not punch through, but... (Score:3, Insightful)
... you don't have to punch through a wall to otherwise destroy it. Even if this stuff stops a wrecking ball from breaking through a brick wall, can you imagine what kind of a shattered mess it will be in after force of the impact? It will still have be rebuilt from the ground up. The video in TFA demonstrates that: if that block wall had been a load-bearing wall, whatever big weight it was supporting would probably still come crashing down.
Re:Idle? (Score:5, Insightful)
Seems like this would be a best seller in tornado alley.
Fire fighter survival.... (Score:3, Insightful)
Embed in concrete (Score:5, Insightful)
How about embedding kevlar-web in concrete? As a building technique generally. Earthquake resistance?
Re:Idle? (Score:1, Insightful)
I agree, its very promising. Imagine using this for homes in Tornado Alley ... it may save many lives!
PS - a hint to keep America working and in the forefront: do NOT outsource manufacturing of this outside the US!!!
Re:Idle? (Score:5, Insightful)
Because the editors are trying to scam you into thinking Idle isn't the craphole it really is.
Re:Idle? (Score:5, Insightful)
Probably because it was a nearly content-free "article" that had a short video clip of some shit getting smashed. Not complaining. It's a huge improvement for "idle"... but there it is.
However, I seriously doubt that this material would actually protect a house from much. The impact from the wrecking ball broke the brick, and the "paper" held it together. But what happens when you put a roof on, and you set up the bomb? First, your doors and windows are still just as fragile... and if the impact is as strong as the wrecking ball, the entire front of the house loses structural integrity, and caves in. Suddenly, the roof doesn't have enough support, so down it comes on your head.
Re:Idle? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Might not punch through, but... (Score:1, Insightful)
Actually, you can punch a pretty big hole in a wall and not take down the side of a building. This sort of damage is visible in any war zone. Tech like this would greatly reduce the death and injury from debris. As a relatively minor benefit it would reduce the section that would have to be repaired, or in some cases be just enough reduction to keep the damage below what'll take down the side of the building immediately.
Re:Go big or lose your wall (Score:5, Insightful)
Come on guys - it's physics.
This material is great in tension - that's it. If you 'bend' a material, the surface closest the the force goes into compression, and the surface away from the force goes into tension. How do you strengthen a wall? Increase the compressive strength of the surface closest outside, or increase the tensile strength of the surface on the inside. Put this stuff on the inside, smack the outside with a wreaking ball, and whatdoyouknow - the wall stands up.
I'm not saying that this isn't cool, but it's not unique - thinking composite materials here. Laminated glass does this kind of thing easily for example, when using the right kinds of laminates.
Demonstration very misleading... (Score:4, Insightful)
Observe that the material is not actually fastened to the wall, rather is is anchored to the top of the wall and the bottom of the wall (look at the piece of angle iron in the demo)
This angle iron also distributes the force across the material, without it, it would just rip out where it was anchored, such as if just screws were used to attach it. I would bet that that piece of angle iron is pretty well tightened...
If it were truly fastened as wallpaper, then it may prevent the wall from shattering, however the wall would still collapse where the material stopped unless anchored (as in the demo). Hence, instead of pieces of a wall falling on you, the entire wall would just fall on you, probably killing you...
And yes, the rest of the structure would still collapse on you as well.
This is probably an advance, however it probably would require new structural building techniques, as well as additional steel anchors/angle iron for it to be truly effective. Not something joe public could ever afford, but I am sure governments could "find" the money.....
Re:Wallpaper anchored in demo (Score:3, Insightful)
This is relatively old tech. 3M has been making a window film that's bomb proof for years. The problem is that the the window frame and the surrounding structure has to be able to take the load when the film is anchored to the frame.
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/WF/3MWindowFilms/Solutions/Government/?PC_7_RJH9U5230GE3E02LECFTDQGG44_nid=R14R9R3CBCbeT4DCJBL6BVgl [3m.com]
Heck, two layers of ordinary mylar film stuck to a window are "bomb proof" - as long as you anchor them to something.
As for the comments about structure - most commercial buildings today are steel frame with infill. That infill can be masonry or stud or prefab wall sheets. You can take out all of the infill and not hurt the structure. Heck, you can take out a lot of the structural pieces and the structure will still stand.
Re:missing the point (Score:4, Insightful)
So exactly where on earth can you live where none of the following occur: