SULLIVAN, Mo. — September 17, 2021 — Research and development company Bleeding Edge EnSys LLC creates advanced impact and wear resistant polymers for the defense and transportation industry.
Bleeding Edge has created a series of customized urethane composite materials capable of resisting the blasts from an IED and M19 landmine, as well as a polymer transparent armor that is ballistic resistant and passes the FEMA F5 tornado impact test.
“We’ve created polymers for high wear and high impact applications such as track pads on the Abrams M1 battle tanks, landmine detonation wheels, Humvee underbody IED armor, and unique transparent bullet resistant windows. Urethanes are usually lighter weight and more versatile to design with than rubber and other plastics or glass used in armoring,” explained George Sturmon, founder of Bleeding Edge. “Our Humvee underbody blast panel was tested against an IED, as well as an M19 landmine, then shot with 3 rounds of NATO 5.56 AP with no penetration. The panel was only 2.3” thick and weighed 23 lbs/sqft (10.43 kg/sqft). Our NIJ Level III-A transparent armor stops 9mm, .357 Mag, and .44 Mag handgun rounds, in a single 1.5” thick sheet, weighing 8.19lbs/sqft (3.71kg/sqft).”
George originally founded ATRO Engineered Systems in 1984, growing it into a multimillion-dollar company. “In the 80’s we looked into urethanes because of their unique properties that could be customized to fit a wide range of applications while far outlasting rubber components,” Sturmon said. “We had major success using them in heavy truck suspensions.” ATRO has recently been acquired along with Steer King, George’s other startup that manufactured high wear steering components for commercial trucks.
Today, the team at Bleeding Edge are testing new applications for ruggedized polymers and armor composites, including a ballistic security door to protect schools from high caliber rounds and tornados. Currently Bleeding Edge is creating optically clear polymer transparent armor. The unique polymer materials can be made in nearly any shape or size, enabling new applications for security, storm safety, military, automotive, and architectural engineering.
Posted September 17, 2021
Source: Bleeding Edge EnSys LLC
