Catagory: wood-shed
Crank, Crank, Crank, Crank, BOOM!
Ever tighten a drum head just a bit too far and break a tension rod? Chances are the head was made of a material known as Kevlar®. Lots of products are made with it— from protective apparel and sports equipment to automotive parts.
Kevlar® is 5 times stronger than steel on an equal weight basis, yet, at the same time, is lightweight and flexible.
Kevlar® is a man-made fiber developed in 1965 by two research scientists, Stephanie Kwolek and Herbert Blades. The two scientists worked for the DuPont company. Their product offered a number of benefits that led to its commercial introduction in the early 1970’s. Because of the protection it provides, Kevlar® fibers quickly became the technology of choice for bullet-resistant vests! This does not mean that hiding behind your drum in a shoot out is a good idea.
Fibers of Kevlar® consist of long molecular chains produced from poly-paraphenylene terephthalamide – say that ten times fast. The chains are highly oriented with strong interchain bonding which result in a combination of properties.
When did it make it’s way into the marching world? The Kevlar® drumhead was created by Peter De Bear and Sam Muchnick back in 1977. It’s interesting to note that it was Sam who also invented the Mylar drumhead for Remo! Back to the topic, the Kevlar® heads first hit the market under the name Duraline in 1978.
A single Kevlar polymer chain could have anywhere from five to a million segments bonded together. Each Kevlar segment, or monomer, is a chemical unit containing 14 carbon atoms, 2 nitrogen atoms, 2 oxygen atoms and 10 hydrogen atoms.
The Falam head was introduced by REMO and used by the Santa Clarta Vanguard in 1987. Since its introduction in the marching world Kevlar® has become standard equipment for nearly every level of marching band/corps.
Kevlar® isn’t limited to use in drumheads and bullet proof vests. It’s also found in:
