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Kevlar reduces weight in race car parts
December 2nd, 2025
Kevlar® EXO™ fiber has been incorporated into new crash-resistant fuel bladders for World Rally Championship cars. Image: DuPont/One Magnify World Rally Championship race cars have incorporated Kevlar® EXO™ in their new crash-resistant fuel bladders, lowering the component’s weight by about 20%. DuPont and Aero Tec Laboratories (ATL) had success with a similar collaboration for Formula […]
Uplift360 re-spins para-aramid fibers for defense uses
September 1st, 2025
Continuous, high-performance fibers created by Uplift360 from dissolved and re-spun para-aramid fibers. Image: Uplift360 Uplift360, a chemical recycling company, has developed a proprietary chemical process to dissolve and re-spin para-aramid fibers such as Kevlar® and Twaron®into continuous, high-performance fibers. The company’s chemical recycling technology dissolves para-aramid fibers using a non-sulfuric acid solvent system, then re-spins […]
Where fit meets function in women’s protective gear
March 1st, 2025
The new Kevlar® EXO™ aramid fiber used in body armor vests that DuPont has been working on for over a decade is 40% stronger than legacy Kevlar aramid fiber, which means the protective gear can be made lighter weight. Image: DuPont An April 2024 survey by the Women’s Engineering Society revealed that more than 35% of […]
Hybrid Air Vehicles plans passenger transportation
December 1st, 2021
British manufacturer Hybrid Air Vehicles Ltd. (HAV) has announced that it plans to have its Airlander 10 ready for passenger transportation in 2025. Billed as the “world’s largest aircraft,” the exterior looks like a very large airship, but the inside more closely resembles a first-class ferry, with spacious and comfortable seating for 100 passengers, all […]
IFAI Expo: 1960-1969
May 1st, 2020
The present and future of synthetic fabrics By Sy Hyman, President, Herculite Protective Fabrics Corp., Newark, New Jersey From his presentation at the 1964 CPAI Annual Convention, Kansas City During those early years around 1955, not all synthetic fabrics failed. Many installations did work well. Almost the entire protective covering industry reacted to the sounds […]
Peak performance lava gear
February 1st, 2020
Protective gear made for research work at volcanoes combines movable, breathable fabric with flame-resistant Kevlar®. Photo: University of Missouri. What does one wear when working on an active volcano near lava ranging from 1,300 to 2,000° F? It’s a real dilemma for volcanologists—geologists who study the formation and eruptive activity of volcanoes. Alan Whittington, chair […]
Parachute system ensures safe landings for astronauts
December 1st, 2018
What does it take to get astronauts home safely from a deep-space mission as their crew module hits the earth’s atmosphere and slows from 20,000 mph to a mere 325 mph? A strong, agile parachute system. NASA has been testing such a system for the Orion spacecraft. It consists of 11 parachutes, including three main […]
Flame-resistant fabrics
October 1st, 2016
New additions to the Resilience® line of flame-resistant fabrics feature cotton blended with high-tenacity nylon or Kevlar® for increased durability. Arapaho R is a 7.5-oz. cotton, nylon and Kevlar blend recommended for industries requiring flame-resistant garments that can stand up to intense wear and tear. Hopi N2X and Navajo N2X fabrics are cotton blends with 25 […]