# Non-Newtonian solids (well... sort of) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 9, 2005, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-newtonian-solids-well-sort-of/330212 "2005-11-09T15:14:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2005, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-newtonian-solids-well-sort-of/330212/1 "2005-11-09T15:14:39Z")
Are there such things as non-Newtonian solids, i.e. polymers that offer greater resistance to fast deformation than slow? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2005, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-newtonian-solids-well-sort-of/330212/2 "2005-11-09T15:26:14Z")
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. ) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2005, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-newtonian-solids-well-sort-of/330212/3 "2005-11-09T15:35:05Z")
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). ---
**Author:** ![ImaginalDisc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a88e57/32.png) [@ImaginalDisc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ImaginalDisc)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2005, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-newtonian-solids-well-sort-of/330212/4 "2005-11-09T16:40:06Z")
Quicksand, or even sand temporrily liquefacted by an earthquake. ---
**Author:** ![ImaginalDisc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a88e57/32.png) [@ImaginalDisc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ImaginalDisc)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2005, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-newtonian-solids-well-sort-of/330212/5 "2005-11-09T16:42:09Z")
> [@ImaginalDisc](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2005, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-newtonian-solids-well-sort-of/330212/6 "2005-11-09T17:04:25Z")
I don’t think you can make thread out of it, but cornstarch mixed in water acts like that. ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2005, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-newtonian-solids-well-sort-of/330212/7 "2005-11-09T17:23:25Z")
I’m no expert, but doesn’t Kevlar essentially work like this? ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2005, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-newtonian-solids-well-sort-of/330212/8 "2005-11-09T18:11:33Z")
> [@MikeS](#): > > 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](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevlar), you also have things like hydrogen bonds between fibers working for you. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2005, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-newtonian-solids-well-sort-of/330212/9 "2005-11-09T20:07:56Z")
Awesome link: [http://chaos.ph.utexas.edu/research/vibrated\_cornstarch.htm](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](http://arstechnica.com/journals/science.ars/2005/11/9/1771) Brian ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2005, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-newtonian-solids-well-sort-of/330212/10 "2005-11-09T21:26:27Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > 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). 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.