Texas State University Kevlar is a Very Strong Synthetic Fiber Discussion Responses

Re: Week 4 Discussion Forum  Kelvar is a. high modulus papa-aramid synthetic fiber. Its manmade, organic fiber is one is considered one of the heavievest in the aromatic polyamide family. Its unique properties and chemicals distinguishes it from the other manmade fibers. It has a combination of high strength, high modulus, toughness, and thermal stability. Kelvar was developed for demanding industrial and advanced-technology applications. It was first made in 1965 by two scientists: Stephanie Kwolek and Kerbert Blades, working for the DuPont company. The production of kelvar is expensive due to the difficulties from using concentrated sulphric acid needed to keep the water-insoluable polymer in solution during synthesis. There are different grades of kelvar available: K-29, K49, K100, K119, K129, Kelvar KM2, and Kelvar AP. The ultraviolet component of sunlight degrades and decomposes Kelvar so it is rarely used outside without protection.         Kabir, E. R. B., & Ferdous, E. N. (n.d.). Kevlar-the super tough fiber. International Journal of Textile Science. Retrieved April 19, 2

Kevlar is an aramid fiber, which means the molecules are arranged in long, strongly ordered chains. To take advantage of these unique qualities, the fibers can be spun or woven into mats or fabrics. Kevlar is created by combining an amine (1, 4-phenylene-diamine) with an acid chloride in a condensation process (terephthaloyl chloride). Kevlar chains are relatively rigid, and they tend to form primarily planar sheets, much like silk sheets. When Kevlar is spun, the chains bind together via H-bonds to form a tensile-strengthening sheet. The sheets also stack drastically, like spokes on a wheel, allowing for more interactions between the face-to-face aromatic groups on neighboring sheets, which helps to boost the overall fiber strength.    Kevlar has a wide range of uses, from bicycle tires to racing sails to bulletproof vests, because to its high tensile strength-to-weight ratio; it is five times stronger than steel in this regard. It’s also utilized to create modern marching drumheads that can endure a lot of punishment. Mooring lines and other underwater uses are also made with it.        Source: https://openstax.org/books/chemistry-2e/pages/20-4…