Fragment from .50 cal Strikes Polyurea-Coated Steel Plate

The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) has found that some types of rubber provide corrosion protection—and potentially better ballistic protection—for amphibious assault vehicles (AAVs). In this video, a .50 caliber fragment strikes a steel plate coated with polyurea rubber. What happens is a physical phase change. “For that 10 microseconds that the bullet’s passing through the rubber, the rubber’s no longer rubber,” says Dr. Mike Roland, a physical chemist at NRL. “It becomes glassy, and in the act o