Armored Tents - Protection in War and Catastrophes

Soldiers need light, portable tents in war zones for shelter but so do homeless civilians after great catastrophes such as earthquakes. But the traditional canvas or lightweight modern materials used in tent construction do not protect them from blasts, shrapnel, bullets. The need for armored tents is greatest for military use but earthquake victims also deserve to be protected from flying debris when aftershocks continue to threaten buildings.

Engineers from the Advanced Engineered Wood Composites Center at the University of Maine, US have designed and patented an armored material that can be used to make tents whilst still light enough to be portable and won’t collapse. The invention is a layered composite of balsa-wood coated with fibre glass and thermoplastic resin on one side and with the carbon fibre material kevlar (used in bulletproof vests) on the other, can absorb the energy from a blast or debris impact. More importantly, the protective fabric can be made at a reasonable cost which is good news for disaster relief.