In the past being protected by body armor was synonymous for bulk, weight , uncomfortable and mass. However over the years, many manufacturers like Dupont have gone a long way to improve the traditional body armors for police and the military especially when they introduced KEVLAR. KEVLAR has increased the protection and comfort of the body armor while reducing the mass and weight.
A new material is changing the face of bullet proof gear for soldiers and police officers. The new substance is called SPECTRA and is a lot stronger, flexible and lighter than KEVLAR. The advantages seem to be obvious but what are they exactly and how do the security forces benefit from SPECTRA ?
If we examine the structure of the two we see that Kevlar is made from a high strength and high performance fiber who's properties are not yet entirely understood despite the fact that it has been used in bullet proof clothing for many years. A more or less exact description is difficult but you should try to see it is that the molecules form into sheets that then stack themselves around the center of a fiber like spokes. Stacking together several layers of Kevlar in a woven pattern creates the bullet proof material.
The weaving would then "catch" the bullet by allowing the fibers to break apart layer by layer and absorb the velocity, slowing the bullet to a stop as it also dulled and flattened from striking the material. However, this was mostly effective when bullets were slower and had less total velocity, making them easier to stop. Now, our troops and law enforcement officials face much more technically advanced weaponry with bullets flying at higher speeds and constructed from harder metals.
This means that Kevlar vests are stretched to capacity and sometimes even penetrated completely by these forceful weapons. The only answer with this material is to thicken the layers of weave, which make the material even bulkier, heavier, and less flexible.
Spectra is a completely new and different technology. Spectra is about 40% lighter than Kevlar which makes it a lot more comfortable. Spectra is not been woven which only helps reducing even more the weight and bulk as there is no need for several layers. - 17943
A new material is changing the face of bullet proof gear for soldiers and police officers. The new substance is called SPECTRA and is a lot stronger, flexible and lighter than KEVLAR. The advantages seem to be obvious but what are they exactly and how do the security forces benefit from SPECTRA ?
If we examine the structure of the two we see that Kevlar is made from a high strength and high performance fiber who's properties are not yet entirely understood despite the fact that it has been used in bullet proof clothing for many years. A more or less exact description is difficult but you should try to see it is that the molecules form into sheets that then stack themselves around the center of a fiber like spokes. Stacking together several layers of Kevlar in a woven pattern creates the bullet proof material.
The weaving would then "catch" the bullet by allowing the fibers to break apart layer by layer and absorb the velocity, slowing the bullet to a stop as it also dulled and flattened from striking the material. However, this was mostly effective when bullets were slower and had less total velocity, making them easier to stop. Now, our troops and law enforcement officials face much more technically advanced weaponry with bullets flying at higher speeds and constructed from harder metals.
This means that Kevlar vests are stretched to capacity and sometimes even penetrated completely by these forceful weapons. The only answer with this material is to thicken the layers of weave, which make the material even bulkier, heavier, and less flexible.
Spectra is a completely new and different technology. Spectra is about 40% lighter than Kevlar which makes it a lot more comfortable. Spectra is not been woven which only helps reducing even more the weight and bulk as there is no need for several layers. - 17943
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