Super wood
 

https://curiosity.com/topics/this-ne...eel-curiosity/

Too bad most of these announcements never become reality

We could have wooden cars again

:D

I see that they mention the other super wood — transparent wood — at the end.

Agreed they should be productized post haste.

I wonder, considering paper is basically dispersed wood fibers without lignin, whether it wouldn’t be wiser to press packs of paper sheets to create a super wood like material, yet more uniform than when using plain wood?

Would grain orientation be an issue with the paper? Paper is more like OSB than a 2 x 4

I have a feeling the “interlocked” grain within wood that isn’t in paper is the key to this discovery since you aren’t breaking the existing connections in the material,

I wonder if this material stays more rigid in one direction than the other?

Paper is felted, the finishing process may be directional.

How about SuperPlywood?

I have to wonder why they think wood won't stop a bullet. Maybe 3/8 plywood won't, but then neither will the sheet steel used in car bodies.

I've dug enough bullets out of trees I cut for firewood to know that they'll penetrate maybe an inch or two into pines. Something at the upper end of the strength/density scale, like mountain mahogany https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pl...difolius.shtml which is so dense that it doesn't float, and is real good at dulling chainsaw blades?

If the cellulose does not rebond across fibers crushed and pushed together it would not get stronger than the original wood in its original thickness, rather weaker as the pressure will do some damage.
So as they claim it is remarkably strong, it must be rebonding. Then it would rebond also if paper was used, and the original direction of the fibers ceases to be important. It becomes one massive block of cellulose.

I still like the idea of using paper as it would facilitate creating complex shapes with controlled thickness. Any excess paper would be sheared off and recycled.

With the mesoscale structure of the compressed wood, it might be very like Kevlar.

Once compacted, it cannot be crushed together any further. A bullet hit will disperse in all directions, increasing the amount of mass involved in stopping the bullet, therefore limiting its progress.

Command troops used strategically positioned sand bags to protect their parachuted lightweight vehicles against mines and gunfire. (The sack under the seat was called the ball saver, after pinball games ;))
Sand has no structural strength whatsoever, but cannot be compressed either. It does catch bullets and whatnot.

Well...Paper tends to....explode when compressed enough. They would have to work around that. :o

Just like wood does if you roll it. It needs to be compressed in some kind of mold so it cannot escape sideways.

OFF TOPIC: whenever I see this thread title "Super Wood," I hear Beavis and Butthead giggling saying "hehe, he said 'wood.' "

Super wood, that is Lignum Vitae. It offers better properties than ceramic bearings and lasts longer than many ceramic bearings. Used in power plants and nuclear submarine.

Paper for stopping bullets. Absolutely. It will shred but lasts a long time. We recycle bullets from our berms. The berms are made from pallets filled with old business papers. Last time we tore one down it gave us 73 pounds of lead.

Interesting stuff.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lignum_vitae#Uses

Something closer to home with Lignum Vitae.
https://www.hydroworld.com/articles/...ing-rehab.html

A fairly lengthy article describing how the ceramic bearings were wearing out too fast and they were replaced with the original super wood

What I like about the story is that, as with deep, hot abiotic oil, it's a resource that replenishes slowly and people exceed the replacement rate at their peril.

sounds like an improved version of the compressed wood used in old German war gliders

Wood is great. Until it gets too hot.

As to lignum vitae, see Ninja Nate for police batons. (A hickory axe handle — mines called Lester after Lester Maddox — just ain’t the same). That cocobolo, wow!

Only in the presence of oxygen. Iron has the same problem.

Cue the axe-handle scene from Pale Rider.