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Articles The Science Of Safety

The Science Of Safety

Principal Author / Publisher:Safetyhow Admin
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Iron Man-like technology is no longer the realm of the comic book. It may take a hundred people in lab coats to do what Tony Stark does while in a drunken haze but the science is happening. When it comes to safety equipment, the same rules Newton and Galileo knew are the ones that material scientists are using to create new protective gear.

Newton’s First Law

An object in motion will stay in motion unless acted on by a force. For safety gear, Newton’s First Law means that a bullet or a brain needs to have a force applied just right to slow the object and protect the human. When a person stops suddenly, as in the case of a collision, all parts on the body continue in a straight line, according to Newton’s Laws of Motion. The brain moves forward until it hits the interior skull wall, causing a concussion or worse damage. A motorcycle helmet is designed to shear away forces so that the brain decelerates slowly, letting the natural fluidic padding of the head do its job.

Conservation Of Energy

Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred. When one object collides into another, be it a bullet or a car, energy is transferred from one to the other. This kinetic energy causes damage as it overcomes the tolerance of the system. The key to stopping a bullet, protecting from a bomb blast, or surviving a car crash is to dissipate the energy before it can cause damage. The military is looking at smart foam technology that converts some of the energy into heat while redirecting the kinetic energy away from the person.

Momentum And Impulse

A bullet is not the same as a car. Bullets are small and designed to break up on impact, causing the most damage. They trade off low mass with high velocity to increase momentum, which is directly related to energy. The momentum needs to be dissipated in many directions very rapidly. This rapid change in force-energy is called impulse. Magnetorheological fluid composites are being used to quickly absorb energy and reduce momentum in bullets. The composite has magnetite particles in a fluid suspension. When an electric current is applied, the particles create a matrix. A bullet hitting this matrix would need to overcome the matrix lattice strength, the material mechanics, and the particle friction to continue.

Atomic Bonds

Iron is hard because of the lattice structure between the atoms. By adding carbon atoms to the mix, iron becomes the alloy of steel and changes its physical properties. For something to penetrate a solid, it needs to break the atomic bonds, overcoming the lattice energy. Material scientists balance weight against strength when creating personal armor alloys. Currently magnesium alloys that are shaped to form the body are showing promise. By bonding two sheets of the metal — each sheet rolled in different directions — the strength of the matrix increases.
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