Implications of a resource-poor future for the development of armour materials

We are using too much resources with too many people much too fast on a global scale. For a number of essential resources, amongst others regular oil and a number of metals, the maximum possible rate of pr oduction has been reached or will be reached soon, causing a growing gap betw een restricted supply and growing world demand. The problem of mineral resources is not so much the dwindling of supplies but the increasing amount of energy required to extract the same amount of minerals from lower ore grades while at the same time energy is steadily becoming less affordable. By getting by on less energy and resources and by using careful substitution, by recycling and by reusing we can anticipate the future restrictions in materials selection. Not coincidentally, important material technology breakthroughs from a less energ y-intensive past may point towards armour material developments for future mass production which are suitable for a less energy-intensive future. Exampl es are armour steels using minor amounts of alloying elements (development started a century ago) and aluminium-magnesium alloys (developed half a century ago).