Could this 1-dollar Chinese adhesive defeat a billion-dollar US laser weapon?

這種價值1美元的中國粘合劑能打敗價值10億美元的美國激光武器嗎?

Chinese researchers say their industrial resin mixture has enough heat resistance to protect ballistic missiles from laser attacks

中國研究人員表示,他們的工業(yè)樹脂混合物具有足夠的耐熱性,可以保護彈道導彈免受激光攻擊。

‘BPR-1’ and other advances in protective technology are pushing the arms race in directed energy weapons to a new stage, scientist says

科學家說,“BPR-1”和其他防護技術(shù)的進步將定向能武器的軍備競賽推向了一個新階段。

Scientists in China who have been experimenting with materials to protect drones and missiles from laser attacks say they have discovered a surprising potential solution – adhesive.

一直在試驗用各種材料保護無人機和導彈免受激光攻擊的中國科學家表示,他們發(fā)現(xiàn)了一種令人驚訝的潛在解決方案——粘合劑。

An experiment showed that a common low-cost resin showed promise in protecting such weapons from being damaged by laser weapons, according to the scientists.

這些科學家表示,一項實驗表明,一種普通的低成本樹脂有望保護此類武器免受激光武器的破壞。
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Samples coated with the material remained intact after being blasted by a weapons-grade laser beam for 15 seconds with a power density of 500 watts per sq cm – far more intense that what is required to destroy an unprotected ballistic missile.

在被武器級激光束以每平方厘米500瓦的能量密度轟擊15秒后,涂有這種材料的樣品仍然完好無損——這一能量密度比摧毀一枚未受保護的彈道導彈所需的能量密度要高得多。

To put that into perspective, a three megawatt laser weapon could theoretically intercept an incoming missile with power density on the target of just 300 watts per sq cm, according to scientists.

根據(jù)這些科學家的說法,從這個角度來看,一個3兆瓦的激光武器理論上可以通過在目標上施加能量密度僅為每平方厘米300瓦的能量,就能攔截一枚來襲導彈。

The newest, most powerful laser currently available to the US military generates a 300-kilowatt beam. Megawatt-power laser systems do not yet exist but are under development.

美國軍方目前使用的最新、最強大的激光器能產(chǎn)生300千瓦的光束。兆瓦功率的激光系統(tǒng)還不存在,但正在開發(fā)中。

In their experiment, the researchers applied 2.5mm (0.1 inch) of coating that was mostly made of boron phenolic resin (BPR), a composite material widely used in hot and high-stress environments.

在他們的實驗中,研究人員應用了2.5毫米(0.1英寸)的涂層,主要由硼酚醛樹脂(BPR)制成,這是一種廣泛用于高溫和高應力環(huán)境的復合材料。

China is the world’s largest manufacturer of BPR, where one factory can produce hundreds of thousands of tonnes of BPR annually.

中國是世界上最大的BPR制造國,一家工廠每年可生產(chǎn)數(shù)十萬噸BPR。

BPR is also inexpensive. In recent years, the average price of the resin has dropped to as low as seven yuan (US$1) per kg (2.2 pounds), according to industrial data in China.

BPR也不貴。根據(jù)中國的工業(yè)數(shù)據(jù),近年來,這種樹脂的平均價格已降至每公斤(2.2磅)7元人民幣(1美元)。

Transforming common BPR into a “anti-high-energy laser protective coating”, only takes a few modifications, according to the team led by professor Gao Lihong, with the Beijing Institute of Technology.

據(jù)北京理工大學高立宏教授領導的團隊介紹,將普通的BPR轉(zhuǎn)化為“反高能激光防護涂層”只需要進行一些修改。

“This solution uses low-cost raw materials, a simple manufacturing process and has very high performance,” said Gao and her colleagues in a peer-reviewed paper published in the Chinese-language journal Ordnance Material Science and Engineering on May 17.

高和她的同事在5月17日發(fā)表在中文期刊《兵器材料科學與工程》上的同行評議論文中說:“這種解決方案使用低成本的原材料,制造過程簡單,性能非常高?!?/b>

The rapid developments in hypersonic weapons programmes in China, Russia, North Korea and lately Iran have increased risks for US air defence systems.

中國、俄羅斯、朝鮮以及最近的伊朗高超音速武器項目的快速發(fā)展,增加了美國防空系統(tǒng)面臨的風險。

Russia claimed to have destroyed numerous US Patriot missile defence launchers with its Kinzkal hypersonic missiles. The Pentagon had confirmed some damage.

俄羅斯聲稱已經(jīng)用其匕首高超音速導彈摧毀了許多美國愛國者導彈防御發(fā)射器。五角大樓證實了一些損失。

Admiral Michael Gilday, the chief of US naval operations, said developments in hypersonic weapons by America’s adversaries had made laser weapons a “top priority” for the US military.

美國海軍作戰(zhàn)部長邁克爾·吉爾戴上將表示,美國對手在高超音速武器方面的發(fā)展,已使激光武器成為美軍的“首要任務”。

“From a defensive standpoint, we’re focused on the threat,” he was quoted as saying by CNN during a public event in August.

“從防御的角度來看,我們將這種威脅列為重點,”CNN在8月份的一次公開活動中援引他的話說。

The US Department of Defence reportedly spends US$1 billion a year on laser weapon development.

據(jù)報道,美國國防部每年在激光武器開發(fā)上花費10億美元。

Hypersonic weapons are difficult to intercept because they move at five times the speed of sound or beyond, faster than most interceptors, and sometimes fly unpredictable paths.

高超音速武器很難攔截,因為它們的移動速度是音速的五倍或更高,比大多數(shù)攔截器都快,有時飛行路徑不可預測。

Laser weapons are seen as a promising countermeasure because a focused laser beam travels at the speed of light.

激光武器被視為一種很有前途的對抗手段,因為聚焦的激光束以光速傳播。

BPR is already used on many missiles and high-speed drones as a heat protection layer, according to Gao’s team.

據(jù)高的團隊介紹,BPR已經(jīng)在許多導彈和高速無人機上用作熱保護層。
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But a laser energy beam – focused and intense enough – could burn a hole through a traditional BPR coating in just a few seconds, the team said.

但是一個激光能量束——足夠集中和強烈——可以在幾秒鐘內(nèi)燒穿傳統(tǒng)的BPR涂層,研究小組說。

So, Gao’s team bought some inorganic compounds “straight from the market”, such as silicon carbide, zirconium dioxide and carbon black nanopowder, and added them to the original resin. The result was a new composite tested under the codename “BPR-1”.

因此,高的團隊“直接從市場上”購買了一些無機化合物,如碳化硅、二氧化鋯和炭黑納米粉,并將它們添加到原始樹脂中。測試結(jié)果是一種代號為“BPR-1”的新型復合材料。

“Over time, white material appeared in the ablated area of BPR-1, but the heat impact area remained relatively intact with no obvious peeling or damage to the coating,” the researchers said in the paper.

研究人員在論文中說:“隨著時間的推移,BPR-1的燒蝕區(qū)域出現(xiàn)了白色物質(zhì),但熱沖擊區(qū)域保持相對完整,涂層沒有明顯的剝落或損壞。”

After being subjected to a laser for 15 seconds, the BPR-1 coating showed a maximum back surface temperature of 230 degrees Celsius (445 Fahrenheit) – not hot enough to damage most aerospace aluminium alloys, which have a minimum melting point of 400 degrees Celsius.

經(jīng)過15秒的激光照射后,BPR-1涂層背面的最高溫度為230攝氏度(445華氏度),這不足以損壞大多數(shù)航空鋁合金,它們的最低熔點為400攝氏度。

Laboratory analysis of the blast area showed that many spherical particles had appeared and fused together at the bottom of the ablation pit.

對燒蝕區(qū)的實驗室分析表明,在燒蝕坑底部出現(xiàn)了許多球形顆粒并融合在一起。

The researchers also found molten glasslike materials across the heat-affected zone.

研究人員還在熱影響區(qū)發(fā)現(xiàn)了熔融的玻璃狀物質(zhì)。

The particles and glasses were likely created by the added compounds, which formed a protective buffer that filled in the gaps in the resin to prevent further damage, the researchers said.

研究人員說,這些顆粒和玻璃可能是由添加的化合物產(chǎn)生的,這些化合物形成了一種保護性緩沖,填補了樹脂的空隙,以防止進一步的破壞。

BPR-1 and other recent advancements in protective technology are pushing the directed energy weapons arms race between the United States and China to a new stage, according to a Beijing-based laser scientist.

北京一位激光科學家表示,BPR-1和其他防護技術(shù)的最新進展,正將美國和中國之間的定向能武器軍備競賽推向一個新階段。

“Welcome to Star Wars 2.0,” said the researcher, who requested not to be named due to the sensitivity of the technology.

“歡迎來到星球大戰(zhàn)2.0,”這位由于技術(shù)敏感性要求不具名的研究人員說。

Could a one-dollar material render a billion-dollar weapon technology useless? It is possible, but the improvement in protection would also force laser scientists to further increase the power of the weapons, he said.

一種價值1美元的材料會讓價值10億美元的武器技術(shù)變得毫無用處嗎? 他說,這是可能的,但保護能力的改進也將迫使激光科學家進一步提高這種武器的功率。

China, for instance, is developing a compact 10 gigawatt power source for directed energy weapons.

例如,中國正在開發(fā)一種用于定向能武器的緊湊型10千兆瓦電源。

The condensed power source can be used to generate a laser or high-powered microwave, weapons that could target not only missiles and aircraft, but also satellites in lower-Earth orbit.

密集的能源可以用來產(chǎn)生激光或高功率微波,這些武器不僅可以瞄準導彈和飛機,還可以瞄準低地球軌道上的衛(wèi)星。

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