

Kevlar can pop up in the oddest of places, y'all. But we think we can trump it with this: Kevlar wallpaper. It goes by the name of X-Flex and it's the fruit of a partnership between Berry Plastics and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Unroll the wallpaper sheets and apply them to the inside of brick or cinder-block walls, reinforcing it with fasteners at the edge.
X-Flex works so well that the armed forces are considering redecorating its army bases in Iraq and Afghanistan with the stuff. And, mindful of the commercial value, Berry Plastics is considering manufacturing a version for civilians — perfect for the tin foil hat brigade, no? Catch a video of it in action below.
Via PopSci
By Tav at 6:26 AM ON 11/17/09
Surely that depends on how securely they connect the wallpaper to floor and ceiling...
By Eric at 6:52 AM ON 11/17/09
Great it's strong, but the title says bomb proof, where's the bomb?
By ScottyJay at 7:26 AM ON 11/17/09
I love the idea, but this demonstration isn't compelling at all. The wall isn't really wall as much as a stack of bricks. The "wallpaper" is attached to a separate structure. In a real world application the wall would be under the force of the roof and the rest of the structure and would likely still collapse once impacted. They should build a full scale demo Mythbusters style. That would be fun to watch.
By MageVailant at 9:38 AM ON 11/17/09
I can see this having tremendous application for the housing industry, particularly in tornado alley.
By Mr. Gumsandals at 9:46 AM ON 11/17/09
This stuff is all about how it's anchored. Bomb blasts and tornadoes will walk all over it. At best, it will keep the debris field to a minimum.
By BoredGuyAtWork at 10:23 AM ON 11/17/09
This is actually pretty useful, not so much for civilian use (that's just a crappy idea,) but this would be really good for prisons and army bases. While they say this can with stand a bomb, i am not entirely convinced, but it is clear by the video it can withstand the force a smaller bomb would provide (won't help you agiants a real bomb, but they probably never ment for this to stop daisy cutters or nukes). The only really annoying thing i can find is that they attach it to concrete and brick, which provide a very solid anchoring as some people have pointed out, but it would be nice to see this in use on something different, maybe an ambulance or something (as far fetched as that application may be.)
By Miraxian at 2:54 PM ON 11/17/09
A number of rappers have armored vehicles, so why not this for their homes. I can see it. Though they will probably have to do a pot leaf design first.
By Gary at 6:38 PM ON 11/17/09
I say something like this on TLC where they set up two cinder block houses and applied this type of material inside one of them. They they mad a bomb similar to a car bomb and blew it up outside of each house. While both house sustained major damage, the treated bldg survived enough to allow the inhabitants to be able to walk out. the other was destroyed.
By Gary at 6:40 PM ON 11/17/09
Saw not "say".
Sorry
By Dr Larry at 5:29 PM ON 01/19/10
There is no such thing as "bombproof". There is "blast-resistant", but this demonstration exemplifies neither. Various coatings and fabrics have been applied to the tension face of walls, columns, etc., for blast, seismic, etc., retrofits but they are not cost-effective for new construction. Kevlar is one of the more expensive options in this arena, and would not be used except under the most demanding circumstances. In addition, it needs to be attached, like in the demo, to provide benefit. And the attachments have to hold. This demo is an advertising gimmick, nothing more.
Dr Larry:
There is no such thing as "bombproof". There is "blast-resistant", but this demonstration exemplifies neither. Va...More »