Naval research chemist at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) have developed an armor which is transparent, lightweigt and enables damaged armor to be repaired immediately while in the field, said the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Public Affairs.
"Heating the material above the softening point, around 100 degrees Celsius, melts the small crystallites, enabling the fracture surfaces to meld together and reform via diffusion," said Dr. Mike Roland, senior scientist, NRL Soft Matter Physics. "This can be accomplished with a hot plate, akin to an iron, that molds the newly forming surface into a smooth, flat sheet with negligible effect on integrity."
"Because of the dissipative properties of the elastomer, the damage due to a projectile strike is limited to the impact locus. This means that the affect on visibility is almost inconsequential, and multi-hit protection is achieved," Roland said.
