dxm@lanl.ARPA (11/29/85)
This doesn't really belong in net.physics, but this is where I am likely
to find help, so no flames please.
Someone posted an article a while back about a material that evidently
redirected an impact 90 degrees from its original direction through the
material. The demonstration they claimed to have seen was a man's hand on
a table, covered with a thin sheet of the stuff, then hit with a large
hammer. The man sustained no damage.
I am *very* interested in finding out more about this material; if anyone
can give me a lead on more information I'll be eternally grateful.
The name and address of the folk who developed it would be perfect.
Thanks in advance,
Doug Miller dxm@lanl.arpa
....!ihnp4!lanl!dxmmoore@mit-eddie.UUCP (Andrew M. Moore) (12/01/85)
I bet it was Zorbothane. I think that's what they call it. I saw the stuff demonstrated on TV a few years back. Some guy put a raw egg between two 'sheets' of the stuff, took a sledge hammer and -- you guessed it. No harm on the egg's part. Then he did it with his hand. It's sort of like a rubber material I think. I can't remember anything else about it, apart from the fact that I think they used it comercially for joggers who got sore feet from the pressure of their feet coming down on the pavement -- put a sliver of Z-Thane inside the sneaker and no more sore feet. Maybe someone else can confirm the name -- I am not sure if that's how you spell it. -drew zthane@large
sean@ukma.UUCP (Sean Casey) (12/02/85)
In article <597@mit-eddie.UUCP> moore@mit-eddie.UUCP (Andrew M. Moore) writes: > I bet it was Zorbothane. I think that's what they call it. I saw the stuff >demonstrated on TV a few years back. Some guy put a raw egg between two >'sheets' of the stuff, took a sledge hammer and -- you guessed it. No >harm on the egg's part. Then he did it with his hand. Maybe, maybe not. I have a sheet of bona fide Sorbothane and it does not have those properties. Maybe it was something else. Sorbothane is good for lining your shoes though. Sean -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sean Casey UUCP: sean@ukma.UUCP or 915 Patterson Office Tower {cbosgd,anlams,hasmed}!ukma!sean University of Kentucky ARPA: ukma!sean@ANL-MCS.ARPA Lexington, Ky. 40506-0027 BITNET: sean@UKMA.BITNET
ljt@wuphys.UUCP (Lewis J. Thomas III) (12/02/85)
In article <597@mit-eddie.UUCP> moore@mit-eddie.UUCP (Andrew M. Moore) writes: > > > > I bet it was Zorbothane. I think that's what they call it. I saw the stuff >demonstrated on TV a few years back. Some guy put a raw egg between two >'sheets' of the stuff, took a sledge hammer and -- you guessed it. No >harm on the egg's part. Then he did it with his hand. > >It's sort of like a rubber material I think. I can't remember anything else >about it, apart from the fact that I think they used it comercially for >joggers who got sore feet from the pressure of their feet coming >down on the pavement -- put a sliver of Z-Thane inside the sneaker and >no more sore feet. Maybe someone else can confirm the name -- I am not >sure if that's how you spell it. > >-drew > zthane@large I would like to know how this stuff works, particularly regarding conservation of momentum. -- "What we have here is a failure to communicate" ihnp4!wuphys!ljt
rcd@opus.UUCP (Dick Dunn) (12/03/85)
> I bet it was Zorbothane. I think that's what they call it. I saw the stuff > demonstrated on TV a few years back. Some guy put a raw egg between two > 'sheets' of the stuff, took a sledge hammer and -- you guessed it. No > harm on the egg's part. Then he did it with his hand. The material is called Sorbothane. It is used for various shock-absorbing purposes, the most common (or at least the most visible) being pads for shoes, especially for jogging, to absrob the shock of foot hitting pavement. I have also seen it used for turntable isolation. If you want to get some to play with, buy some sole inserts--but don't go betting an egg or your hand against a sledge (unless you have a LOT of it). It's good, but it's not magic. It doesn't redirect force so much as it deforms in an unusual way. If you whack the top of a piece of it, it transmits a lot of force downwards but it also deforms outward a lot. Imagine the local behavior of an element of the stuff to be somewhat fluid-like in its transmission of the impact. -- Dick Dunn {hao,ucbvax,allegra}!nbires!rcd (303)444-5710 x3086 ...Reality? Gad, that's worse than puberty!