Stephanie Kwolek, inventor of Kevlar, dies at the age of 90
13 replies, posted
[quote]Stephanie Kwolek, the DuPont Co. scientist whose research on polymers in the 1960s led to the creation of Kevlar, the light, super-strong synthetic fabric used in bulletproof vests and body armor credited with saving thousands of lives, has died. She was 90.
Kwolek died Wednesday under hospice care at St. Francis Hospital in Wilmington, Del., according to a DuPont spokesman. The cause was not given.
During an achievement-laden career as a chemist at DuPont, Kwolek made her greatest mark with her 1965 work on a liquid crystal polymer that, dissolved in solvent and pressed through a device resembling a very fine colander, became a fiber five times stronger than steel, ounce for ounce.[/quote]
[url]http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-stephanie-kwolek-20140621-story.html[/url]
Huh didn't know it was a woman that invented it. Thats pretty interesting. Hope she lived a good life knowing she helped save so many peoples lives.
[QUOTE=Demolitions2;45172540]Huh didn't know it was a woman that invented it. Thats pretty interesting. Hope she lived a good life knowing she helped save so many peoples lives.[/QUOTE]
And new ways to circumvent it.
For every hard working man, theirs always a hard working women.
Rest in peace, ma'am. You have saved many lives, be it from death or being maimed in an industrial field.
[QUOTE=avincent;45172544]And new ways to circumvent it.[/QUOTE]
kevlar is a fabric.
Seriously... the most badass woman ever. She was like "fuck this, im stopping a bullet" and then did it. The amount of people she saved is more than many people that win a noble prize.
If you ever believed in helping other people, this should be inspiration for you.
This woman is the best, and may she rest in peace.
I wonder how many people she has saved through her invention. RIP
[QUOTE=King of Limbs;45172702]Seriously... the most badass woman ever. She was like "fuck this, im stopping a bullet" and then did it. The amount of people she saved is more than many people that win a noble prize.
If you ever believed in helping other people, this should be inspiration for you.
This woman is the best, and may she rest in peace.[/QUOTE]
More along the lines of "fuck this, I'm making better tires"
The use as a vest to stop bullets wasn't her idea at all.
EDIT: Not that it actually makes her less awesome. Just that bullet resistant materials were never the goal.
[QUOTE=GunFox;45172772]More along the lines of "fuck this, I'm making better tires"
The use as a vest to stop bullets wasn't her idea at all.
EDIT: Not that it actually makes her less awesome. Just that bullet resistant materials were never the goal.[/QUOTE]
It's these kind of inventions that tend to be the best though. Trying really hard to invent something specific, and you find a different, even better use for it.
I think the key thing here is that her invention did not just stop at tires. It went to making more protective clothing and gloves for people working in an industrial setting, it keeps soldiers and emergency service peeps alive, it has made our machines tougher and more resilient to certain conditions.
This lady invented a material which has applications in hundreds, if not thousands of fields across all sorts of industries. Her invention influences our everyday lives, and without it... We would still be scratching our heads at how to keep people alive, how to ensure people don't get burned, how to make sure we have more traction on our tires... Just... I don't say this often, but seriously. God bless her.
My grandfather worked closely with this woman. I can't remember the specifics of his role, but he definitely had experience with her and her research.
Rest In Peace.
[QUOTE=Ogris;45172922]It's these kind of inventions that tend to be the best though. Trying really hard to invent something specific, and you find a different, even better use for it.[/QUOTE]
What is NASA.
Her tires were so good people used it to stop bullets.
Holy shit girl you really did it, may you rest in peace.
[QUOTE=katbug;45172690]kevlar is a fabric.[/QUOTE]
If you had quoted the post above this, then this comment would've been really sexist.
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