Researchers from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory have been able to use clay to create bulletproof glass, this is being considered as a major development in materials science. The researchers were able to do this following decades of research and development. They are now capable of creating a bulletproof material that’s transparent and can be molded into just about any shape.
They’re calling this bulletproof material Spinel, it’s actually a mineral called magnesium aluminate. It’s made from a synthetic powdered clay which is first heated and then pressed under vacuum into transparent sheets.
This results into a bulletproof material that’s tougher, stronger and harder than conventional glass. Not only does this mean that the material is capable of providing better protection but it’s also resistant to sand and rain erosion.
Conventional bulletproof glass is created by pressing alternating layers of glass and plastic sheets together so that they’re thick enough to stop a projectile. The caveat is that it can block the infrared wavelength of light.
That’s not the case with Spinel, so in theory this material can be used to protect a surveillance camera on a drone or the lens of a HEL-MD laser. Moreover it’s also significantly lighter than conventional bulletproof glass.
U.S. Naval Research Laboratory is going to share the production process for Spinel with the defense industry at large so that it can now be used in the real world.
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