pickens's Journal: Bullets Bounce Off New Nanotube Material

Engineers at the Centre for Advanced Materials Technology at the University of Sydney have found a way to use the elasticity of carbon nanotubes to make a material that will not only stop bullets penetrating material but actually rebound their force. Most bullet-proof jackets are currently made of multiple layers of Kevlar, Twaron or Dyneema fibres which stop bullets by absorbing and dispersing the impact energy to successive layers to prevent the bullet from penetrating. However, the dissipating forces can still cause non-penetrating injuries known as blunt force trauma that can damage critical organs. The investigation showed that nanotubes with larger radii can withstand higher bullet speeds (pdf) and estimates that body armor made from six layers of 100 micrometer nanotube yarns could bounce off a bullet with a muzzle energy of 320 Joules. "The dynamic properties of the materials we have found means that a bullet can be repelled with minimum or no damage to the wearer of a bullet proof vest."