Word: kevlar
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...them a daily diet of flies and, every now and then, flipping them on their backs to unravel yards of gossamer thread. The ambitious goal of all this effort: to unravel the secrets of spider silk, a family of materials stronger than steel, stretchier than nylon and tougher than Kevlar, the stuff used to make bulletproof vests...
...better in all directions, making the sail more able to adjust to wind changes. America 3's technical director, Heiner Meldner, a physicist who once designed nuclear weapons, says his sails are a composite of fibers, including carbon and liquid-crystal polymers. The Italians use a woven carbon-and-Kevlar fiber glued to a Mylar backing...
...large can take half an hour for a crew of eight. Slick aerodynamic design and a hydraulically powered keel let the Procyon sail at speeds of up to 15 knots: roughly 15% faster than a conventionally designed boat of comparable size. Automatic winches furl and unfurl the Procyon's Kevlar mainsail and jib horizontally, at a finger's touch, without human assistance. The unique, sculptured boom eliminates the need for much of the equipment required on standard boats. There are two sets of controls -- helms, winch buttons, wind and direction gauges -- to allow the skipper to steer from either side...
WHEELS. Modern fibers are also making a difference in bicycle wheels, which traditionally feature dozens of thin metal spokes within a pliable rim. While multispoked wheels minimize wind resistance, they are easily bent out of shape. In the mid-'80s, solid "disk" wheels made of Kevlar improved matters but were somewhat hard to control in crosswinds. A solution came early this year from Specialized Bicycle Components of Morgan Hill, Calif.: a three-spoke wheel developed with Du Pont. Specialized's wheel, a composite of carbon fiber, epoxy resin, Kevlar and aluminum, has an air-foil shape, and was designed with...