HK-36
The Iron Lord Protector (Neutral Good)
Intent: To upgrade previous Graphite reinforced metal for use in future submissions.
Development Thread: Based on Graphite-Reinforced Durasteel to continue attempts in making armor out of Graphite, this time using the previously manufactured Graphite Cables
Partially Overkill Is A Myth where Graphite-reinforced metals are chosen as one of the armor types to be used in new walkers for Firemane and Abregado, however both mesh and Duranium are named as better variants as opposed to Graphite Reeds and Durasteel used before.
Manufacturer: Abregado-Rae Guild of Hammers
Model: Graphite Mesh Reinforcement
Affiliation: ARGH and Firemane companies.
Modularity: Greater amounts of wire can be used as reinforcements, making smaller spaces between the wire segments to provide more protection against piercing damage, and metals coating the wires can be swabbed, most popular being Durasteel, Bronzium, Duraplast, and Duranium.
Production: Usually Minor, sometimes Limited, based on what type of metal the mesh reinforces, Durasteel, Duraplast, and Bronzium would be in Minor production, Duranium and Electrum would be limited due to rarity of the metals or difficulty in shaping them.
Material: Echani Graphite Wires woven together to create a chicken-wire mesh encased in virtually any type of metal, usually Durasteel, Bronzium, or Duraplast, sometimes Duranium or Electrum, not meant to be used with Beskar, Phrik, or Ultrachrome due to rarity and cost of those metals (And due to those metals already being strong enough to not need support of a mesh)
Description: Since the previous attempt at making armor out of Graphite by Gados scientists, the Graphite Reinforced Durasteel and Graphite Reed Armor, their notion of what a cylinder was changed as they realized cylinders did not had to be only capsules, silos, or tubes, cylinders can be stretched and made thin during the Graphite fletching process, making them into wires and cables, or they can be made very wide yet very short to make them into disks. And so, with time and demand for new grade of Graphite armor with the construction of Mag'ladroth walkers on the way, the Gados researchers of ARGH were able to construct the next in series of Graphite armor plating.
The result was Graphite Mesh, more or less chickenwire woven from Graphite wires, not really strong by itself, but made so much stronger by using the previous technique utilized in Graphite-Reinforced Durasteel and encasing the mesh in metal. This technique gives metal similar bonuses to protection as Graphite-Reinforced Durasteel received from its reeds, great boons against blunt and slashing damage, yet being vulnerably to piercing damage. When slashing damage is done to the armor plate, such as a strike from a lightsaber, as the blade cuts through the outer layer of metal, how quickly it does so depends on what metal is used in forging these plates, it catches and deflects from the Graphite wire mesh, material being strong enough to withstand blows from lightsabers as proven before. When confronted with blunt trauma the wire lets forces distribute through the plating without as much damage and keeps the metal together when it begins to shatter, making it harder to splinter the plates apart. However, just like even Beskar and Phrik, all metals have their limits, and so does Graphite, especially when in its weaker thinner wire form, when facing prolonged onslaught of forces, or just a couple of shots from anti-armor weaponry like mass drivers, high grade explosives, or turbolasers, the wires can melt or be cut through, or plates can just straight on shatter or melt, making it a weaker counterpart of the Graphite-Reinforced Durasteel.
But just with previous armor plates based on Graphite, piercing damage is the weakness of this method, especially since both the metal layer and thickness of Graphite elements is lesser in this instance, making it easier to break or melt through, or avoid altogether. High speed projectiles or streams of plasma that can burn hot enough can melt through metal and slip between the wires, not meeting their resistance and going through the armor as if it did not had the Graphite reinforcement, this is harder with bigger piercing projectiles such as shrapnel and it can be somewhat negated with more wires being used in weaving mesh for a single plate, reducing the size of gaps between wires, however all that does is reduce the chance of piercing damage avoiding Graphite mesh, never fully negating it.
This time around the Gados have also made it available for the mesh to be used with metals other than Durasteel, letting better grade alloys such as Duranium be used with it, as it was requested for the Mag'ladroth walkers, or even Electrum, due to Abregado having a steady supply of the rare metal, although it was pretty much useless in armor making, some wealthy nobles enjoyed having golden armor, even if it was weaker than Durasteel.
However, another weakness this technique inherits from the Graphite Reinforced Durasteel is enlarged thickness and cost of forging it. Although not as thick as the plates utilizing Graphite Reeds, armor plates made with this wire mesh can be still considered heavy when classified for personal armor. As such it can be used for personal armor, however, only heavy variants of it, it can also be used for light vehicles and starfighters. Cost wise it is the same problem as with Reeds, the mesh needs to be specially arranged and held stable as its emerged in molten metal for the plate to be then shaped, additional costs can be put up on the armor plates depending on how much wire is used to create a mesh with smaller gaps and what type of metal it is reinforcing. As such most of these plates can only be made as minor production by Abregado, expansion of it would require expanding operations of Graphite Fletcheries with backing of larger companions (I.e. more development threads) and some would never move outside of limited status, such as Duranium based plates, due to shorter supply or greater shaping difficulty of the metal.
In summary, armor plates using Graphite Mesh Reinforcement can be utilized in personal armor, only heavy variants, vehicles, and starships, it benefits from limited lightsaber resistance due to Graphite presence in the plates, and it provides great defense against slashing and blunt damage. However, thickness of these plates and their cost does not allow them to be given to medium and light infantry, preventing mass deployment in armies, and currently cannot move past minor or limited production, depending on what metal is used for it, unless further development is made for it.
This is not an armor submission on itself, it can be used as a material for an armor submission, to the extends dictated in this sub (Only heavy armor) or as material in vehicle or star-ship construction.
Development Thread: Based on Graphite-Reinforced Durasteel to continue attempts in making armor out of Graphite, this time using the previously manufactured Graphite Cables
Partially Overkill Is A Myth where Graphite-reinforced metals are chosen as one of the armor types to be used in new walkers for Firemane and Abregado, however both mesh and Duranium are named as better variants as opposed to Graphite Reeds and Durasteel used before.
Manufacturer: Abregado-Rae Guild of Hammers
Model: Graphite Mesh Reinforcement
Affiliation: ARGH and Firemane companies.
Modularity: Greater amounts of wire can be used as reinforcements, making smaller spaces between the wire segments to provide more protection against piercing damage, and metals coating the wires can be swabbed, most popular being Durasteel, Bronzium, Duraplast, and Duranium.
Production: Usually Minor, sometimes Limited, based on what type of metal the mesh reinforces, Durasteel, Duraplast, and Bronzium would be in Minor production, Duranium and Electrum would be limited due to rarity of the metals or difficulty in shaping them.
Material: Echani Graphite Wires woven together to create a chicken-wire mesh encased in virtually any type of metal, usually Durasteel, Bronzium, or Duraplast, sometimes Duranium or Electrum, not meant to be used with Beskar, Phrik, or Ultrachrome due to rarity and cost of those metals (And due to those metals already being strong enough to not need support of a mesh)
Description: Since the previous attempt at making armor out of Graphite by Gados scientists, the Graphite Reinforced Durasteel and Graphite Reed Armor, their notion of what a cylinder was changed as they realized cylinders did not had to be only capsules, silos, or tubes, cylinders can be stretched and made thin during the Graphite fletching process, making them into wires and cables, or they can be made very wide yet very short to make them into disks. And so, with time and demand for new grade of Graphite armor with the construction of Mag'ladroth walkers on the way, the Gados researchers of ARGH were able to construct the next in series of Graphite armor plating.
The result was Graphite Mesh, more or less chickenwire woven from Graphite wires, not really strong by itself, but made so much stronger by using the previous technique utilized in Graphite-Reinforced Durasteel and encasing the mesh in metal. This technique gives metal similar bonuses to protection as Graphite-Reinforced Durasteel received from its reeds, great boons against blunt and slashing damage, yet being vulnerably to piercing damage. When slashing damage is done to the armor plate, such as a strike from a lightsaber, as the blade cuts through the outer layer of metal, how quickly it does so depends on what metal is used in forging these plates, it catches and deflects from the Graphite wire mesh, material being strong enough to withstand blows from lightsabers as proven before. When confronted with blunt trauma the wire lets forces distribute through the plating without as much damage and keeps the metal together when it begins to shatter, making it harder to splinter the plates apart. However, just like even Beskar and Phrik, all metals have their limits, and so does Graphite, especially when in its weaker thinner wire form, when facing prolonged onslaught of forces, or just a couple of shots from anti-armor weaponry like mass drivers, high grade explosives, or turbolasers, the wires can melt or be cut through, or plates can just straight on shatter or melt, making it a weaker counterpart of the Graphite-Reinforced Durasteel.
But just with previous armor plates based on Graphite, piercing damage is the weakness of this method, especially since both the metal layer and thickness of Graphite elements is lesser in this instance, making it easier to break or melt through, or avoid altogether. High speed projectiles or streams of plasma that can burn hot enough can melt through metal and slip between the wires, not meeting their resistance and going through the armor as if it did not had the Graphite reinforcement, this is harder with bigger piercing projectiles such as shrapnel and it can be somewhat negated with more wires being used in weaving mesh for a single plate, reducing the size of gaps between wires, however all that does is reduce the chance of piercing damage avoiding Graphite mesh, never fully negating it.
This time around the Gados have also made it available for the mesh to be used with metals other than Durasteel, letting better grade alloys such as Duranium be used with it, as it was requested for the Mag'ladroth walkers, or even Electrum, due to Abregado having a steady supply of the rare metal, although it was pretty much useless in armor making, some wealthy nobles enjoyed having golden armor, even if it was weaker than Durasteel.
However, another weakness this technique inherits from the Graphite Reinforced Durasteel is enlarged thickness and cost of forging it. Although not as thick as the plates utilizing Graphite Reeds, armor plates made with this wire mesh can be still considered heavy when classified for personal armor. As such it can be used for personal armor, however, only heavy variants of it, it can also be used for light vehicles and starfighters. Cost wise it is the same problem as with Reeds, the mesh needs to be specially arranged and held stable as its emerged in molten metal for the plate to be then shaped, additional costs can be put up on the armor plates depending on how much wire is used to create a mesh with smaller gaps and what type of metal it is reinforcing. As such most of these plates can only be made as minor production by Abregado, expansion of it would require expanding operations of Graphite Fletcheries with backing of larger companions (I.e. more development threads) and some would never move outside of limited status, such as Duranium based plates, due to shorter supply or greater shaping difficulty of the metal.
In summary, armor plates using Graphite Mesh Reinforcement can be utilized in personal armor, only heavy variants, vehicles, and starships, it benefits from limited lightsaber resistance due to Graphite presence in the plates, and it provides great defense against slashing and blunt damage. However, thickness of these plates and their cost does not allow them to be given to medium and light infantry, preventing mass deployment in armies, and currently cannot move past minor or limited production, depending on what metal is used for it, unless further development is made for it.
This is not an armor submission on itself, it can be used as a material for an armor submission, to the extends dictated in this sub (Only heavy armor) or as material in vehicle or star-ship construction.
