What Material Is Used For Body Armor

Choosing protection options for body armor, you need to proceed from the threat.

13:20 19 February 2021

The class of ammunition will depend on the answer, which means weight, material, thickness, and other parameters. 

 

The body armor, called the improved outer tactical vest, can weigh up to 16kg and is mostly made of synthetic fibers like Kevlar, Spectra Shield, or Dyneema (plastic polyethylene), with metal or ceramic plates and is inspired by shellfish shells, but instead of calcium carbonate, they used a new material.

 

The new material is Kevlar. It is a unique polymer, like many other synthetic fibers, which was obtained in the laboratories of the world-famous DuPont concern a plastic-like compound known for its durability and resistance to impacts from hard and explosive objects. What material invented at DuPont laboratories is used for body armor today and you can purchase such body armor on the website https://primearmor.us/body-armor/.

 

Best Material For Body Armor

 

Over the centuries, different cultures developed body armor for use in combat. Mycenaeans of the 16th century BC as well as the Persians and Greeks around the Vth century BC used up to 14 layers of flax, while the Micronesian inhabitants of the Gilbert and Ellis Isles used braided coconut fibers until the 19th century. In other countries, the armor was made from animal skins: among the Chinese, back in the 11th century BC - the skin of the rhinoceros was in five to seven layers, and the Shoshone Indians of North America also developed jackets from several layers of leather that were glued or sewn together. 

 

Below are the materials that are the most common types of body armor manufactured. The choice of the most ideal material depends on the level of threat you face and how comfortable should be body armor for you. Nowadays, the best material for body armor is polyethylene. Because many soft and hard body armor products are made from it.

 

Kevlar vs Steel vs PE (Polyethylene) Body Armor

 

Kevlar, steel, and Polyethylene (PE) are the most used materials in the production of body armors. Kevlar and Polyethylene are primarily used to make soft body armor, while steel and ceramics are used to make hard body armor. 

 

Kevlar is the fabric that revolutionized the way of protecting people in dangerous professions. The Kevlar material turned out to be stronger than steel, while its threads can be woven into a cloth or used to create a variety of technical devices that are distinguished by their strength and resistance to flame. In addition to the use of fibers for various technical structures, Kevlar fabric is the basis of the most common protective clothing. The inventor of this material, Stephanie Kwolek, considered saving many lives as her main achievement thanks to the Kevlar body armor, helmets and other protective equipment that are now used by NATO military units.

 

Steel body armor is thin, cheap, but very heavy material. The vest usually weighs more than 10 kg. Such armor is used in cash collection services.

 

A bullet-proof vest made of polyethylene is the best option that should be chosen. Ideal material properties for body armor is made by gluing unidirectional UHMWPE fibers onto a high-density polyethylene sheet. Plates of polyethylene body armor work in a unique way.

 

In-flight, the bullet moves in a spinning motion and this rotation causes friction when the bullet hits the PE armor plate. This friction causes the polyethylene material to melt and then holds the bullet while it cools and hardens again.

 

Name of material used for body armor developed and produced a completely new type of body armor. Previously, body armor was extremely uncomfortable and bulky to wear before the advent of polyethylene and Kevlar. But now with the advent of Kevlar and Polyethylene, body armor has become much lighter and 5 times stronger than steel. 

 

Conclusion 

 

Choosing a material for body armor you need to pay attention to key characteristics: weight, thickness, and price. Moreover, the last parameter should not be decisive, do not skimp on your safety. On the site https://primearmor.us/ you can find a safe, affordable, and above all, durable body armor.