Are there such things as non-Newtonian solids, i.e. polymers that offer greater resistance to fast deformation than slow?
Does Silly Putty count? (Yeah, I know it’s supposed to be a non-Newtonian liquid, but at short time scales it behaves like a solid polymer. )
Possibly, but I’m thinking of materials that could be spun into fibres, to make a fabric that was pliable but became rigid under impact (thus distributing the force of impact over a greater area).
Quicksand, or even sand temporrily liquefacted by an earthquake.
Sorry, not only am i having trouble spelling, but I’m not if the answer I thought of was well considered. Quicksand is composed of solid particles mixed with a liquid, and in the case of liquifacted sand, well the name of the behavior may say it all.
I don’t think you can make thread out of it, but cornstarch mixed in water acts like that.
I’m no expert, but doesn’t Kevlar essentially work like this?
For that matter, don’t all fibrous fabrics do this to some extent? When you compress a mat of fibers, they usually get stiffer. I’d expect a fabric made of extremely rigid, yet fuzzy, fibers to resist rapid deformation from things like bullets better than a fabric made of floppy, slippery strands.
With Kevlar, you also have things like hydrogen bonds between fibers working for you.
Awesome link: http://chaos.ph.utexas.edu/research/vibrated_cornstarch.htm
Be sure to watch the video.
courtesy of Ars Technica http://arstechnica.com/journals/science.ars/2005/11/9/1771
Brian
I remember reading about gloves that could do this a while back. But it might have had a liquid layer that solidifies so I’m not sure if that counts.