ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

How it works D3O armor

Updated on February 12, 2015

Why is it so special?

What's the secret behind D3O?

Wikipedia says that D3O is dilatants non-Newtonian fluid. What does it mean? Although it sounds very scientific, we are currently using this type of materials. What about shampoo or toothpaste? Even ketchup and blood are non-Newtonian fluids.

In order to understand what the secret behind D3O is, let's find out what is a Newtonian fluid. Let's imagine some flowing oil. This oil has a viscosity and over it acts the gravitation force, causing a viscous stress. The last term changes the oil's deformation over time. In this case, the viscous stress is linearly proportional with the deformation's change, so the oil is Newtonian fluid. So, the non-Newtonian fluid is the material which doesn't respect this condition.

Newtonian vs. non-Newtonian fluids

The graphic difference between Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids
The graphic difference between Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids | Source

How D3O works?

We stated the fact that D3O is a non-Newtonian fluid. It's time to understand how it works. The main principle is simple. When moved gently and slowly, the material flows. But, if it's about a shock, quickly, the molecules lock together. The aim is to absorb and dissipate the shock's energy. Let's make an analogy with the interaction between you and another human being. If you say "May you open the window, please?” probably that person will open it. But, if you scream "OPEN THAT WINDOW RIGHT NOW!” nobody will listen to you. Your roar is the shock and the "please" word is the gently moving.

How much does D3O protects you?

Some data about impact protection, density etc
Some data about impact protection, density etc | Source

What is the D3O name's origin?

According to allsportprotection.com, the origin of D3O is partially a mystery. The manufacture says only "No comment", but there are already 2 legends. One of them tells that D3O is the room's name where the material was invented. Another one says that it's about the secret chemical compound.

Did you know that even D3O has a history?

It was invented by Richard Palmer, a British engineer, in 1999, at the University of Hertfordshire. The inventor found the "D3O Lab" to develop and market it. The material has such a great proprieties than the UK Ministry of Defense awarded the lab with 100,000 £ in order to use it for anti-bullet helmets.

D3O armor

Here is how it looks a D3O armor
Here is how it looks a D3O armor | Source

How should you take care of it?

D3O is something new and sounds pretty good. A flexible material which strengthens because of a shock is definitely protecting more than a normal one. But it has disadvantages, too. One of them is the special care that you need to offer.

For example, you have to store it into a ventilated and dry place, out of sunlight. You shouldn't store it under heavy objects or in extreme temperatures. Also, you shouldn't fold it.

What if it started raining before arriving at home? Well, you first have to dry the protection and only after that to store it, but you're not allowed to use hair dryers or other heaters. You just need the same ventilated, dry space.

Fortunately, the D3O can be cleaned only with a damp cloth, without any detergent.

The last rule: do not modify any part of the product.

Manufacturer's personal note

Please, always remember this:

No personal protection equipment can offer complete protection against all injuries. The user hereby agrees to absolve the manufacturer of all liability in respect of any personal injury.

In which products do you find it?

There are many equipment manufacturers which choose to use D3O as protections. One of them is Richa, which uses the limb and back protectors. Another one is ICON. It integrated this material into all the jackets, pants, gloves and footwear. Furygan, a French brand, likes the D3O for the limb protectors. Belstaff, a luxurious brand, uses it in the Pure Motorcycle Collection.

These are not the only ones. D3O was adopted by Tucano Urbano and Klim, too. Held, a family-run business is also a fan of it. Hyod proved that this material is suited for racers, too. For example, Ryuichi Kiyonari wore equipment with D3O when won several championships. The last, but not the worst, Rukka used this material in order to create an improved one.

Other applications

D3O is not used only in motorcycle industry. Every field that needs something anti-shock is happy to try it. Until now, the applications are in sports, footwear, electronics, industry, medicine, and defense and law enforcement.

It's your turn to write

What do you preffer?

See results
working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)