> "Kevlar is a lightweight resin composite substance five times
> stronger than steel and 20 percent lighter than fiberglass."

> Is Kevlar really that strong?

> Chris

Yes, Kevlar is that strong. That is why one version is used for bulletproof vests. The fibers are strong enough to resist the cutting action of a bullet, and they offer a lot of protection against knife cuts, too. Get a good strong pair of scissors if you use the stuff.

Depending on how you want to figure it -- pound for pound, or size for size -- there are LOTS of things that are stronger than steel. By weight, aluminum and magnesium are stronger, which is why they are used in aviation construction. And then there is Titanium.

Common stuff like Silk and Nylon fall into that category, too, or at least close to it. Even those plastic ScotchBrite (R) pads used in the kitchen to clean pots are tough enough to abrade my stainless steel cookware. By my definition, if they can scratch steel they must be harder than steel, but I'm not sure if that qualifies as `stronger' than steel.

For some info on real hightech fabrics, check out Defender Industries printed catalog. They have a one or two paragraph blurb about the advantages and disadvantages of each. That page alone makes the catalog worth reading. You can get their free *printed* catalog through their web page, at www.defenderus.com, but their *online* catalog ( at that same URL) does not have listings for their resins or fabrics. (That is kind of a shame, as they also have a pretty good price on fiberglass cloth in their catalog)

My old copy of the WorldBook Encyclopedia said spiderwebs are also stronger than steel. I know spiderwebs are sometimes used commercially. I've seen them as crosshairs in microscopes, but I imagine it must be awful darn hard on the spiders that try to spin out construction-sized `I' beams.

Paul Jacobson