Kevlar and its impact on society

Of all the tensile fibers in the world none has had a greater impact on the world than Kevlar. It is an almost miracle-like fiber that is responsible for saving countless lives today. However, that is what it appears to have done, at least upon the surface. Kevlar is so much more today than when it was first accidently invented. Imagine a world in which there was no Kevlar, no means to protecting soldiers from bullets, no means to protect those phones teenagers are so crazy about today, or to perhaps to create a glorious display of fire dancing. It would be a dull and boring world without Kevlar in it, a material that few of us know about, yet remains everywhere to be seen just in plain sight.

The question most people have when they hear of Kevlar is usually what is it. Kevlar is light-weight tensile fiber that is incredibly unique due to its chemistry and its properties. Chemically it is a polymer, a polymer is a long chain of molecules all linked together with the same basic unit over and over again, units such as hydrogen and carbon. Two polymers that are very commonplace today are diamonds and graphite, both of which contain many units of carbon, but in different structures with different properties. Kevlar is made up of numerous hydrogen bonds joined together which is why Kevlar is so strong, the hydrogen molecules are always in a constant state of combing with the oxygen molecules. Due to the unique structure, not only is Kevlar strong, but very light, very durable, very resistant to extreme frigid temperatures. Thankfully this innovation when it was first created, happened to be at the hands of the right people at the right time.

In 1964 DuPont wanted or rather need a new product of tire that was light-weight and durable. S...

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