I recall a short story about a planet without accessible metals. The beings there were adept at making ceramics for all purposes. A planet like that presumably still has Aluminum, which is very light and doesn't exist naturally in metalic form. Other metals that are never present as metal requires high level of technology to isolate , and low on the periodic table might still be present.
Look at this link for a list of non-metalic metals by density. The densest at The next one 9. You would have to go down the list to find what is allowed, but it will be lighter. Lead, in comparison, is Higher tech would not be to use glass.
They would find a mineral possibly synthetic that has desirable properties such as relatively high density, or being monocrystaline and able to withstand high stress. Projectiles made of flint were effective, long before firearms came around.
Perhaps combustion as a way to throw an arrow would be a natural progression from hand-cocked springs of various types. Hard needle tips might evolve, as opposed to heavy slugs. They could certainly be poisoned as well. Morter rounds can contain flaming tar and diseased rat carcasses as well as stone. Explosive rounds might deliver the punch after the projectile reaches its destination.
Since glass is far less dense than metal, the only way to increase the penetrative and killing power of a glass bullet would be to make it go far faster than a comparable calibre metal round. Since glass is rather brittle, a glass bullet will shatter if subjected to high accelerations. Since glass is actually an insulator, electrical weapons like railguns won't work with a glass projectile unless saboted in a metal case , but then you will end up blowing a slug of molten glass or glass dust out the barrel at about Mach 7.
So glass is probably not the thing you are looking for here. Maybe if you use basalt spun into a bullet form, you will be closer to a usable weapon.
Purely hypothetical but say hardened glass, almost like gorilla glass or unbreakable pipes for smoking, I have seen those thrown on the ground and not break, were used and hypothetically we could fire it without breaking Wouldn't the actual wound be a lot worse than metal due to it shattering as it penetrates flesh then fragments and slices? Or because of the mass it would create more of a flesh wound? Glass could perhaps be used for a small caliber bullet in space or on the moon, as the propelling force would be less than on Earth.
It would be cheaper and more economic than mining, transporting, and then probably just wasting the more valuable stuff. To supplement the answers above, people do make glass bullets more accurately, shotgun slug. While the glass shatters on contact with hard surface, it can still penetrate a thin metal sheet, and the fine glass powders continues to move in forward direction.
Which also suggests that hitting body tissue will do much more than a superficial wound, more likley a penetration wound heavily contaminated with fine glass powder.
A youtube video with glass bullets , 1: As a side-note, lower density not only reduce penetration, but also causes the projectile to decelerate more rapidly in atmosphere, reducing the effective range of the weapon used. By clicking "Post Your Answer", you acknowledge that you have read our updated terms of service , privacy policy and cookie policy , and that your continued use of the website is subject to these policies.
Questions Tags Users Badges Unanswered. Would glass bullets be feasible in a hypothetical world? Enter the world of hypothetical-ness: EDIT Also there is no way to recycle the metals: The Questions What damage could it do? How would it change warfare? How would cities change? Defense What would be the economic change in areas with high amounts of sand, soda ash, and limestone? Aify 16k 6 51 Kit 2 I'm assuming there's a reason they can't simply recycle the "used" metals?
It's not like they disappear, so they could always be melted down and recycled -- unless something else is stopping that? Also, why not just use a different metal? Glass seems super illogical I'm sorry but the setting of this question makes zero sense. May 9 '15 at 8: Kromey Maybe aliens just stole all our metals. Bookeater 5, 2 11 As such, if we have enough glass or sand we can extract silicon from it so ho have a metallic material much better suitable for making bullets: Anixx 2, 5 Do you have any basis for claiming that elemental silicon would be a better material than glass?
It has a comparable density to typical glass. Elemental silicon is a metalloid, not a metal, and even if it were a metal, that doesn't mean it would have the properties of lead that make it effective for making projectiles. Glass bullet will not just survive the shoot.
I think the main impact of using glass for weaponry would be that the people doing it would get their asses kicked by anyone with a bit more sense. And since a bullet either at firing or at target impact is not subject to tension, I did wonder why you'd provided it. Certain types of ceramics can also be used for transparent armor due to their properties of increased density and hardness when compared to traditional glass.
These types of synthetic ceramic transparent armors can allow for thinner armor with equivalent stopping power to traditional laminated glass. The newest type of curved transparent vehicle armor has an air chamber between the glass and the polycarbonate. Level IIIA high speed 9mm armor consists 8mm of laminated glass strike face , a 1 mm air gap, and 7 mm of polycarbonate. This solution stops the bullets in a totally different way. The glass, being hard, deforms the incoming bullet. The deformed bullet completely penetrates the glass and then it is stopped by the flexible polycarbonate.
It is also thinner The picture on the right shows how the bullet is embedded between the glass and the polycarbonate. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Fundamentals and Investigations, Cengage Learning, , p. Military Vehicles Humvees Protection". Archived from the original on Retrieved November 9, International Journal of Impact Engineering.
Retrieved September 15, Society for Experimental Mechanics Inc.
The densest at How do you drive the bullet so fast, and; b. Society for Experimental Mechanics Inc. The glass, which is much harder than plastic, flattens the bullet, and the plastic deforms, with the aim of absorbing the rest of the energy and preventing penetration. Bullet-resistant materials are tested using a gun to fire a projectile from a set distance into the material, in a specific pattern. It's not like they disappear, so they could always be melted down and recycled -- unless something else is stopping that?
Archived from the original pdfKb on Check date values in: A numerical analysis of the ballistic performance of a 6. Experimental and numerical analysis of the impact behaviour of polycarbonate and polyurethane liner. J Phys IV, France Pr — Pr, Retrieved from " https: Glass coating and surface modification Armour. All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from July Articles with permanently dead external links CS1 errors: Views Read Edit View history.
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