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Stephanie Kwolek
Stephanie Kwolek is a female scientist that has invented one of the most amazing things in the world. That invention was Kevlar. Kevlar is a lightweight fiber that is extremely strong. Strong enough that it can stop a bullet if it is woven together. That's right Kevlar is most famously known for bullet proof vests. Even though this fiber was not invented for the use of bullet proof vests or Kevlar vests it still has other uses. Stephanie Kwolek invented the fiber when she was working at DuPont. They tasked her to make a new super strong material for their use to put into tires. Little did she know when she finally did invent the material Kevlar it would be used for more than just tires.

Kwolek's Life Journey
Kwolek was born in 1923 in New Kensington, Pennsylvania. She had a humble life growing up. She did not have rich parents or a lot of money. Her father was a naturalist and her mother was a homemaker. Her father died when she was ten. Her mother taught her how to sew. She had many interests when she was younger. First, she wanted to be a fashion designer and then later she showed interest in things such as medicine and chemistry.

In the 1930’s the Great Depression was getting ready to start. Kwolek’s mother was lucky enough to get a job after her father died. That job earned enough to help Kwolek go to college. She went to school in 1946 attending Carnegie-Mellon University. She graduated and was trying to find a job so she could raise enough money to go back to medical school. She eventually received a job at DuPont.

Today DuPont is known as a global science company. She was hired to help with the polymer research that DuPont was doing. She thought it was very interesting and challenging, and eventually decided that she did not want to go to medical school anymore. She liked working at DuPont so much that it became her career. She was officially a chemist working at DuPont.

The Discovery of Kevlar
Kwolek worked on polymers for years at DuPont. Eventually DuPont asked her to do some research for a new type of fiber that is extremely strong and can survive harsh conditions. She discovered that when specific conditions are met some of the polyimides line up and become parallel. And then it can be turned into fibers. And in 1965 these fibers became known as Kevlar fibers, with extreme strength.

DuPont wanted this so they could implement it into tires. By putting Kevlar into tires, it makes it stronger and harder to puncture and put holes in the tire. This would be extremely useful in off roading tires. Eventually Kevlar was used to make new things. Things such as cables, body armor, fuel tanks for race cars, boats, and airplanes. There are around two hundred uses for this Kevlar fiber.

Race car Fuel tanks are made from Kevlar because of its properties. Kevlar made into the gas tank made it lighter, stronger and more flexible. This is important because racers want their vehicle as light as possible. Also, Kevlar is extremely tough which makes the gas tank very hard to puncture. This makes it a lot safer in case of a crash or anything really. And last because of the flexibility the gas tank can be put in different spots on the vehicle not just one.

Bullet proof vests also known as Kevlar vests are very popular with the military and also police departments all through the United States. Kevlar changed bullet proof vests vastly. Before Kevlar the vests would be filled with metal plates to stop the bullet. With Kevlar these vests are lighter and is also more flexible. This gives the wearer of the vest more mobility which could be lifesaving.

Kevlar can also be implemented to produce cables. They are even better than steel cables. They do not corrode as much as steel cables, they are stronger than steel cables, and they have better thermal stability compared to steel cables.

These are just a couple of examples of what Kevlar can do. Kevlar is one of the inventions that have changed the world, and Stephanie Kwolek invented it at DuPont. Even though she invented it she did not invent the other uses for it such as the bullet proof vests. She just invented the material. That stated if the material was never invented neither would have the other products. Some of those products have even saved human lives.

The End
Many people do not know who even invented Kevlar let alone that it was a woman who did it. She retired from DuPont in 1986 and eventually died in 2014. She is a female scientist that everyone should know. She was a brilliant scientist who changed the world and how it worked.