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Scientists detonated a bomb in the cargo hold of a plane without destroying it — here's how

The skies may get a little bit friendlier following this explosive announcement from scientists at the University of Sheffield: a new bomb-proof material can contain an explosion inside an airplane — keeping everyone in the plane itself safe.

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The Fly-Bag, as it's called, is designed with layers of unique fabrics, materials, and coatings that, when woven together, produce a super-strong, lightweight, and heat-resistant textile with shockwave-swallowing properties.

commercial airplane
SuperJet International/Flickr

After extensively testing in a blast lab, an international team of scientists lined the luggage holds of an old Boeing 747 and an Airbus 321 with the composite material and set off an increasingly-powerful series of bombs inside it at Cotswolds Airport, near Cirencester, England in July.

The Fly-Bag withstood the force of the blasts and mitigated damage to the plane, according to a news release from the university. If continued tests are successful, the team estimates that airlines will be able to purchase the Fly Bag material to line their cargo holds in one to two years.

But how does it work? Two key aspects of the Fly-Bag that make it durable yet bendy enough to stand up to the shock of the blast without shattering into a million pieces.

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One is its elastomeric coating, an extremely durable paint-like liquid that commonly seals cracks in concrete walls and waterproofs stucco interiors. These coatings are highly flexible, stretchy, and durable, meaning they can be jostled around without breaking.

The fabric is also imbued with a suspension of tiny silica nanoparticles called shear thickening fluids, or "liquid body armor," which was developed in 2002 and can be used in bullet-proof vests.

These fluids paradoxically exist in both liquid and solid states, depending upon what's touching it. The fluid's tiny nanoparticles of silica are suspended in a chemical called polyethylene glycol, a polymer commonly used in lubricants and laxatives. It glides freely as a liquid until it is stressed or jabbed, at which point it hardens within mere milliseconds.

The tiny particles normally repel each other, keeping them from lumping together under normal pressure. But when the energy of a violent impact forces the particles close enough together, they immediately glom onto each other because the energy of impact is much greater than the force pushing them apart. This, in turn, forms hard balls of hydroclusters that create a super-thick fluid.

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"This helps to ensure that the Fly-Bag acts as a membrane rather than as a rigid-walled container which might shatter on impact," head scientist Andy Tyas of the University of Sheffield said in a press release.

If it makes it to market, the Fly-Bags' light-weight, cheap, and sturdy material may one day replace the heavier, more expensive containers currently used to absorb exploding luggage bombs. It could also be used in overhead bins and other luggage holds within the main cabin of an aircraft.

Aviation
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