Hyperdense Plating!

[Tallor]

At TL11 (or TL10+1 in weird science adventures), hyperdense blades and hyperdense darts come into play, allowing some very powerful armor penetration.

It got me thinking--what about hyperdense plating? Take any TL10 armor, give it x1.5 DR and one level of Hardened! What do you think?

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Tallor

It got me thinking--what about hyperdense plating? Take any TL10 armor, give it x1.5 DR and one level of Hardened! What do you think?

The fact that something makes a better weapon does not mean it also makes better armor. Other than being thinner (thickness is usually not a significant problem for metal armors) there is no particular reason hyperdense would be superior to other armor materials.

[Nereidalbel]

All hyperdense materials mean for armor is higher DR/inch and weight. Sure, you could apply it for power armor and some vehicles, but, you would end up losing enough mobility for the big guns to score easier hits on you. This would be a net loss to survival.

[Ulzgoroth]

While of dubious realistic utility, hyperdense materials are already treated as a component in ultratech armor compositions. (Though it seems to be used at TL12 rather than TL11.)

[VariousRen]

For people saying it wouldn't have any effect other than increasing DR/inch, resistance to projectiles is a complex function of a number of different parameters, including hardness and density. If I remember correctly for very fast moving projectiles it's the cross sectional density of a projectile that makes a difference (basically both projectiles move like liquids because so much energy is involved). A hyperdense material might have a much higher DR value for the same weight. Additionally hyperdense materials may have better stronger mechanical properties such as sheer limits and elastic deformation limits, so they would stand up to damage better than standard steel would.

Finally, reducing the volume actually spent on armour allows for more room for shock absorption, spaced armour, reactive armour, other clever tricks to increase effective DR without changing the weight. DR for vehicles or power armour suits isn't realistically ever going to be a direct function of weight or DR/inch of the building material, so the best we can do it take an educated guess.

Personally I'd treat it as a level of hardened, with a small boost to DR (1.1x, or +2 DR. Whichever is greater). Projectiles that pierce armour very well are better resisted by high density materials, and the extra space provided for the increased density is used to space armour plates to make them more effective.

EDIT: This assumes the UT armours don't assume hyperdense materials already. If they do, just use that.

[DanHoward]

Thickness has a resistance factor all on its own. Metal armour increases its damage resistance at a higher rate than its thickness. For example, it takes more than twice the energy to compromise a 2mm plate compared to a 1mm plate of the same material. With a hyperdense material you would more likely lose DR compared to a thicker armour grade plate of a similar weight, not gain it.

[weby]

It seems that hyperdense as weapon material is in limited availability at TL 11, but normal as armor material is TL 12. But the TL 11 weapons are described as only having the edge of Hyper dense not the whole weapon.

So it is likely that the limitation on TL 11 is an manufacturing limitation in the cost/quantity so if you are trying to make enough for armor at that TL you are likely paying a lot more as apparently just enough for the edge increases the whole weapon price to be 5 times as much and multiplies the weight by 1.5

So a TL 11 Hyperdense armor would likely cost *10-20 price for the same mass and get the *1.5 DR increase over TL 11 armors for being effectively TL 12 armor, it would however be much thinner.

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by VariousRen

If I remember correctly for very fast moving projectiles it's the cross sectional density of a projectile that makes a difference (basically both projectiles move like liquids because so much energy is involved). A hyperdense material might have a much higher DR value for the same weight.

Cross sectional density is mass per area - thin and dense or thick and diffuse doesn't change that.

[Mailanka]

It might be extremely useful in a composite material. Having a supremely dense but exceptionally thin layer sandwiched between less dense and much thicker layers of armor might do a great deal to break up the energy of a penetrating projectile.

[Wavefunction]

Originally Posted by Mailanka

It might be extremely useful in a composite material. Having a supremely dense but exceptionally thin layer sandwiched between less dense and much thicker layers of armor might do a great deal to break up the energy of a penetrating projectile.

Which is similar to that approach of Hyperdense Weapons. It's not the whole weapon, it's just the edge. It's also worth pointing out that regardless of any actual scientific facts, you can make Hyperdense armor work that way in your game, it seems like a good equivalent to the way weapons work.