A bomb-proof lining called the Fly-Bag, developed by an international team of scientists, has successfully contained blasts in a series of controlled explosions in the luggage hold of a Boeing 747 and an Airbus 321.

The Fly-Bag is used in an aircraft’s luggage hold, and is made up of multiple layers of fabrics and composites. The fabrics have high strength and impactA controlled explosion without Fly-Bag in the hold. Source: University of Sheffield and heat resistance, including Aramid, which is used in ballistic body armor.

The material was tested under increasing explosive charges on disused planes at Cotswold Airport in the U.K.

“Key to the concept is that the lining is flexible and this adds to its resilience when containing the explosive force and any fragments produced,” says Andy Tyas of the Department of Civil and Structural Engineering. “This helps to ensure that the Fly-Bag acts as a membrane rather than as a rigid-walled container which might shatter on impact.”

Tests using the Fly-Bag showed that a plane’s luggage hold may be able to contain the force of an explosion should a device be detonated during a flight. After the tests with the Fly-Bag, explosives were placed in the aircraft without the lining to show the damage that could have been caused.

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