This is a classic article from New 杏吧原创鈥檚 archive, republished as part of our 50th anniversary celebrations
A SYNTHETIC rubber which is completely transparent has been developed by the American firms of Libbey-Owens-Ford, Pittsburgh Plate Glass and Dow Corning. It is a silicone-based rubber and has the property of keeping its strength over a temperature range from -65 to 350 掳F.
The American Air Force has tested the product as an interlayer in the windshields of high-speed jet aircraft. Plane screens are very susceptible to damage, and accidents have been caused by their shattering at speed. A lamination of this rubber would take up a lot of the shock on contact with an object likely to shatter a conventional windscreen.
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This article was originally published in New 杏吧原创 on 31 January 1957
50 Years of New 杏吧原创: The Best Articles 鈥� find many more in our exclusive Special Report. You can also have your say on what you think was the biggest scientific advance of the last 50 years, in our
