Fabric bullet-resistant

Dischler L. Bullet resistant fabric and method of manufacture. Spartanburg, SC Milliken and Company 2001. 

Even without penetration, modem pistol bullets contain enough energy to cause blunt force trauma under the impact point. Vest specifications will typically include both penetration resistance requirements and limits on the amount of impact energy that is delivered to the body. Vests designed for bullets offer little protection against blows fi om sharp implements, such as knives, arrows or ice picks, or from bullets manufactured of non-deformable materials, that is, those containing a steel core instead of lead. This is because the impact force of these objects stays concentrated in a relatively small area, allowing them to puncture the fiber layers of most bullet-resistant fabrics. 

Key words balhstic fabric, body armour, bullet resistant, ceramic armour, stab resistant, textile armour. 

Kevlar, a polymer of aromatic amides, is several times stronger than steel, but much fighter and also fire resistant. Kevlar fibers are formed into hollow cylinders that are then woven into fabrics useful in bullet-proof vests and manufacture of automobile tires, see also Cellulose Polyesters Polymers, Synthetic. 

Kevlar body armor works by catching a bullet in a multilayer web of woven fabrics. Kevlar s extraordinary strength resists tearing and cutting, allowing the stressed fibers to absorb and disperse the impact to other fibers in the fabric. 

LCP fibres are used for making heavy-duty ropes and belts and also as the reinforcing fibres of composite materials. An important application of Kevlar is in the fabrication of bullet-proof clothing. The easy mouldability, good mould filling and low thermal expansion of thermotropic LCPs, combined with their resistance to solvents and their stability at temperatures up to 120 °C or higher make them suitable for precision mouldings for use in a variety of components such as electrical connectors. 

A major use of Kevlar is in rigid and soft body armour protective applications. Kevlar fabric is bullet and fragment resistant, lightweight, flexible and comfortable, has excellent thermal properties, is resistant to cuts and chemicals and is flame resistant and self-extinguishing. The uses include bulletproof vests, chainsaw leg protection and military uses for helmets and armoured vehicles, cargo containers, armour shields and cockpit doors. 

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