If nothing else, the idea of bomb-proof wallpaper is a great excuse to smash wrecking balls into brick and film it for the Internet’s enjoyment.
However, the darn thing seems to work! Of course, I’m a little skeptical — if that’s a load-bearing wall, then wouldn’t the weight of the floors above collapse the building no matter what flexible wonder-wall is keeping the bricks together?
covering an entire room takes less than an hour. The wallpaper is so effective that a single layer can keep a wrecking ball from smashing through a brick wall, and a double layer can stop blunt objects (i.e. a flying 2×4) from knocking down drywall.
See more here.
hmmm … looking at how the ‘wallpaper’ is attached, i’m wondering if regular old wallpaper might produce similar results. Any pliable materiel secured to a secondary structure is going to provide significant resistance in situations such as this – even typing paper – not saying there isn’t promise for this tech, just that the demonstration appears suspect.
It may help keep the walls up long enough to escape the building. “Bomb-resistant to 0.1 kiloton” might be more realistic — though less marketable.
Also, I’m not sure how a wrecking ball equates to an explosion: with the ball, your impact is probably more concentrated.
I think it’d be funny if someone wallpapered an entire building that was scheduled for implosive demolition with this stuff, and then it didn’t fall down.
Apparently, it’s made of a “Kevlar-like material” which I suspect is a wee bit stronger than even the thickest, most luxurious wallpaper, but you’re right that any pliable material would add some strength as a backing.
My big concern is that very pliability. Walls are rigid. That’s how they stay up — and that’s how they keep the roof up. Just because all the bricks are still in the same order, if they’re bowing or bent, they’re not going to be providing the same support.
@Pat — I lol’d. It’s like the reverse of the 9/11 truthers.
PS. I think “Bomb-resistent to 0.1 kiloton” is eminently marketable — and it might spark a kepping-up-with-the-Joneses style race. I’m thinking of Lebanese nightclubs and Israeli cafes, for example, as places that might benefit from a sign touting their blast-resistant safety.
but that’s just it – it’s not being used as a backing (from what I’m seeing) – it is secured across the width at the top and bottom – effectively functioning as a vertical trampoline.
I see that, too (about 1:25 in the video) but doesn’t that still rely on the floor and ceiling joists remaining intact? It works great for a wrecking-ball demonstration, but I wonder if would really hold up to an explosion.
That said, I’m starting to wonder if I should bolt my wallpaper to the ceiling
I’m thinking of Lebanese nightclubs and Israeli cafes, for example, as places that might benefit from a sign touting their blast-resistant safety.
Disclaimer: Bear in mind that if the bomb goes off inside, near you, you are still going to be smeared on the bombproof walls. Sorry, “bomb-resistant to 0.1KT of TNT” walls.
You know Pat, you keep seeing problems, and I keep seeing marketing opportunities — clothing, in particular.
“This lightweight, flexible, Kevlar-like material stops wrecking balls from destroying brick walls. Don’t you deserve the same protection?”
absolutely – if that was an external or load bearing wall, it wouldn’t make a damn bit of difference – you might survive the blast but the 20 tons of debris on your head will certainly finish the job
my point is that if the materiel was affixed to the wall and not the floor/ceiling, the wall would still buckle – just perhaps not shatter – which would end with the same result.
I wonder what would happen if you wrapped a load-bearing column, all four sides, in this material?
@Grant — [I] keep seeing problems, and [you] keep seeing marketing opportunities
Yeah, it’s why I can’t watch commercials anymore. I always try to read the fine print, and it’s giving me a headache.
PS: The motto of marketers, lifted from a Dilbert comic: “When life hands you lemons, lie.”