What type of gel is best for a lightweight bulletproof armor?

[KyleSpence]

Hey guys I'm putting together a lightweight bulletproof armour and need a non reactive viscous gel to be placed in it.
It cannot be flammable as hot shards of metal will be in contact with it and it needs to be relatively viscous to keep some loose parts from moving around to much.
Can anybody help me out with what material would be suitable?
Thank you.

 

[Danger]

This might sound facetious, but... Jell-O? It's more than just a dessert.
Actually, I wouldn't waste money on the flavoured brand-name stuff; just regular Knox gelatin that you get in the grocery store. Depending upon your mix ratio, it can turn out like water or like tire rubber or anything in between. The intermediate stages are used fairly often, by me and also professional make-up artists, in place of latex for prosthetic make-up effects such as long noses, pointed ears, scar tissue... The forms that are denser than the edible type last for a ridiculously long time (months, in some cases). One advantage is that you can pour it into your fabric matrix as a liquid while it's hot, and then it will dry to a solid after it's soaked in.

edit: I didn't mean to imply that the stuff will disintegrate or rot or something after a few months, which would make it unsuitable for you; it just tends to get torn or eaten by cats if left lying around. I think that being confined to a matrix such as your fabric would keep it intact for years.

 

[Danger]

The edit function for my previous post has expired, so I have to add this here. A couple of examples of "stiff" gelatin are Gummy Worms and Gummy Bears candies. If you've ever eaten one, you know how tough they are.

 

[KyleSpence]

This might sound facetious, but... Jell-O? It's more than just a dessert.
Actually, I wouldn't waste money on the flavoured brand-name stuff; just regular Knox gelatin that you get in the grocery store. Depending upon your mix ratio, it can turn out like water or like tire rubber or anything in between. The intermediate stages are used fairly often, by me and also professional make-up artists, in place of latex for prosthetic make-up effects such as long noses, pointed ears, scar tissue... The forms that are denser than the edible type last for a ridiculously long time (months, in some cases). One advantage is that you can pour it into your fabric matrix as a liquid while it's hot, and then it will dry to a solid after it's soaked in.

edit: I didn't mean to imply that the stuff will disintegrate or rot or something after a few months, which would make it unsuitable for you; it just tends to get torn or eaten by cats if left lying around. I think that being confined to a matrix such as your fabric would keep it intact for years.

Thats not a bad idea, on my first prototype I used liquid hand soap, I am still looking but the consistency of jelly (as us Scots call it) could be varied so that I could use it as a testing material in which to find the correct consistency needed when searching for the final material I will use. Thanks and keep it up :)

 

[Danger]

(as us Scots call it)

That's we Scots, bairn. (Or in some cases wee Scots.) While I'm proud to be a Canuk, I'm even more so to be a Bruce.

But for sure I'll keep an eye out for ye.

 

[ChaseRLewis]

Corn Starch or something similar. You want something that will be high resistant to penetration. It has the properties that when exposed to extreme force it hardens into a concrete like substance. As in you can run on top of it, but wouldn't be able to walk across it. Really cool that way.

 

[Danger]

The problem that I foresee with cornstarch or any other non-Newtonian fluid is that it will tend to either settle to the bottom of the garment or run out entirely when not under compression. I guess, though, that the initial cohesion can be tuned.