Have you heard about the stories that 3D printing fans are possibly making their guns at home? Technology keeps evolving while 3D printing is mostly used for producing prototypes. While these have been tales, a University in Houston has done the contrary of all these.
Twelve researchers from Rice University, Houston, have used a 3D printing method to make a near-bulletproof material. The researchers discovered a way to print complex patterns in 3D to create plastic items that are nearly as durable and as sturdy as a diamond.
The plastic cubes created by these researchers can remain relatively entirely unbroken when exposed to crushing forces. They can also remain undamaged even when shot at by 5.8 km/s (kilometer-per-second) bullets.
According to the researchers, the intricate zig-zagging and crisscrossing patterns used to create the polymer cubes structures are not random. They are strategically mapped and managed to offer these items their incredible strength. However, they can be twisted and also harmonized to show other great features.
The intention for this was to experiment the theoretical structure known as tubulanes. The tubulanes are portrayed as theoretical minute structures that consist of crosslinked carbon nanotubes. Researchers Douglas Galvo and Ray Baughman had predicted in 1993 that tubulanes might have an outstanding loadbearing and force resistance properties. Douglas is a physicist and Ray Baughman, a chemist.
Tubulanes might be utilized to make advanced materials that are lightweight and strong. However, until today, the structures have not been expertly made, provided the demanding logistics of production using carbon nanotubes.
Also, the objective of the research was to find out if tubulanes’ projected outstanding characteristics are present. This is even when they are sized as far as 3d printable measurements.
The researchers went ahead to make different complex bedded polymer cubes based on tubulanes. They experimented to find out if they were a bit good than solid, simple polymer cubes at opposing speeding bullets. The researchers also created computer simulations of different tubulane pieces and printed the patterns as macroscale polymers. They after that, exposed polymers to the high-speed bullets.
According to the researchers, they found that the cube with tubulane-based structures was remarkably better at enduring the force. It could withstand the force of a 5.8 km/s bullet. It is different from the single, solid cube created of similar plastic. It was the best, based on the research.
The projected tubulanes properties aren’t restricted to only objects manufactured using atomic-scale compositions. This is according to a recently published report in the Small Journal.
The solid polymer cube was left with a big hole and several splits inside and just about it. However, the tubulane-based cube stopped the bullet using its second layer. This left the rest entirely intact and unharmed.
Seyed Mohammad Sajadi is the lead author of the study. Sajadi said that optimization of the lattice pattern could result in more beneficial materials. This is for automotive, civil, aerospace, biomedical, packaging, and sports applications.
