Stephanie Kwolek, 90, created Kevlar

[Bob Of Burleson]

Stephanie Kwolek dies at 90;
chemist created Kevlar fiber
used in bullet-resistant gear

By Emily Langer
The Washington Post

Stephanie L. Kwolek, a chemist credited with developing the
ultra-strong Kevlar fiber used in bullet-resistant gear, an innovation that is estimated to have saved hundreds of lives since she created the polymer five decades ago, died June 18 at a hospice in Wilmington, Del. She was 90.

Rita Vasta, her executor and a former colleague at the DuPont chemical company, confirmed her death but declined to disclose the cause.

Miss Kwolek described her innovation as “a case of serendipity.” In the mid-1960s, halfway through her career as a DuPont chemist, she was tasked with developing a synthetic material that might offer a lighter, more fuel-efficient alternative to metal reinforcements in automobile tires.

In the course of her research, Miss Kwolek stumbled on a surprising compound — a liquid crystalline solution — that could be transformed into astoundingly strong fibers. Of them, the best known became Kevlar.

Five times as strong as steel, it proved immensely useful in a range of applications. Kevlar is used to make boats, airplanes and sporting equipment more sturdy. Woven into fabrics, it makes butcher’s gloves and lumberjack gear more protective. Ropes produced with Kevlar are strong enough to hold hulking ships in place and are easy for sailors to handle.

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[Red Oak]

No one is Bullet Proof against Time.