The Latest Bulletproof Clothing: Better Protective Fiber, Lower Cost

All countries in the world protect nature Clothing materials The field continues to improve and improve, not only because it has become a unique field, but also because it has the potential to develop emerging markets, and also because it involves other application fields. Today, how to maximize the protection function and reduce production cost , let users supplier Multi benefit with manufacturers has become the focus of research.

　　 Bulletproof fibre The development of materials is finally implemented in the design of material types. How to integrate ceramics, metals and composites Fibrous material When integrated, hard and soft materials form a single protective layer, and produce strengthening function, then let various materials play their unique role. Protective clothing manufacturers have also used nanotechnology to change the effectiveness of composites. Today, the design effect of multi-functional bulletproof clothing materials has begun to emerge.

　　 CNT reinforced Z-integration material

Endurance Solutions, located in Texas, USA, plans to use protective clothing for carbon nanotube reinforced composites (CNT) developers in conjunction with nanomaterials companies. One company is a material supplier and the other is a manufacturer. The manufacturing principle is to use the hot pressing technology to make the ceramic fiber fabric react under special conditions, and then connect the Z-shaped guide single-layer fabric to form a strong Z-shaped protection function. The principle is that when being hot pressed, the carbon nanotubes are rolled into the fabric and injected by epoxy or ethane resin under high pressure. The surface of the carbon nanotubes can be made into materials of any shape, and its length and thickness are not limited. This technique enhances the back deformation attribute and improves the strength ratio. Experts believe that this technology has been studied by them for many years, and now it is beginning to show results. In addition to the ceramic fiber provided by American suppliers, other fibers can also use this technology, such as the fiber used in bulletproof vests, and high molecular weight polyethylene fiber. Its cost effect ranges from fiber to fabric to resin, making the carbon nanotube reinforced protective fiber under cost effect a single component of composite materials.

Endurance Solutions launched a new type of manufacturing equipment in January this year, which is specially used to produce aircraft fiber interior panels. They were first used in military aircraft. This material can be used in areas that need protection on the aircraft, especially those vulnerable parts. After the successful test, the commercialization of this material began. For example, a fiber mosaic with different thickness can be inserted into a certain part to make it withstand certain impact or high temperature and pressure.

　　 Bullet proof embedded in E glass

Historically, bulletproof material designers have been accustomed to selecting tough, expensive and high-density polyethylene or similar materials. However, Wake Composites in the United States pioneered the development of bulletproof fiberglass panels, named "ArmorCore", which can resist the impact of bullets or shells and provide effective protection for the human body. According to the American E-glass roving filling technology, a filling material and resin are involved. According to the experimental safety standards, the rated protective layer is actually only one of the nine layers of sandwich. According to the use of the plate, it can be designed for different thicknesses and formed by heating and pressing the film.

The company was founded in 1995. Wake Composites has taken the lead in occupying the commanding height of the market, and its product ArmorCore plate was immediately welcomed, and it was tested to meet the US UL752-1-4 technical standard. Later, the company targeted the federal, state governments and departments and units in need of such materials. Soon they received an order from the local government, which required the use of this bulletproof fiber material in the judges' seats of all local courts.

In the past five years, the company has achieved considerable development, with an annual growth rate of 10%. This is due to their discovery of other uses for this material from the market. For example, where tornadoes are often encountered, the building needs this material urgently. When a tornado comes, this strengthened and firm material can well protect various facilities. It is worth noting that in January this year, almost all armed police and maritime police in the Arabian Sea wore bulletproof suits made of this material against pirates, hijackers and thugs. In addition, when an air flight is in a dangerous situation, passengers can wear it as a protective suit. In the event of an air crash, this protective clothing can effectively limit the strength of the body of the collision passengers, reduce death, and achieve the expectation of saving lives. In addition, this material is widely used in the exterior wall of the Federal Building, treasury of the Ministry of Finance, important building parts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency that need protection. Similarly, this material can also be used for armored parts of combat vehicles, helicopters and warships. The biggest effect of this material is that it can effectively protect and reduce the impact when it is attacked. In addition, the ceramic fiber arranged in the inner layer can make the impactor deviate from the track and slide to one side, and its energy dissipates quickly.

Since this year, the bulletproof grade plate developed by another American fiber technology industrial company has also been recognized by UL 752 standard. If the test is completely successful, their new product will provide richer multi-purpose protection functions. It is especially applicable to a wider range of fields. Terry, president of the company Keegan said that their products were woven with E-glass layer and thermosetting resin. This product represents that they have officially entered the bulletproof clothing market. In fact, the company had developed bulletproof grade protective fiberboard as early as 2008, but it was not favored by the market due to its high price. Today, the glass fiber reinforced board they produced is sought after by the market. More and more American companies use E-glass to produce derivatives, many of which are used in transportation construction and other sectors. {page_break}

　　 3-D braided protective clothing

Historically, 3-D weaving has been used to weave very thick and complex fabrics, but the strength of these fabrics changed dramatically after being embedded in resin. At present, a large number of high-strength fiber protective materials have begun to be used in aerospace, military and other industrial fields requiring excellent performance.

Another American enterprise, textile engineering and manufacturing company, uses customized calico looms to weave glass fiber and carbon fiber matrix mesh to pre manufacture bulletproof materials. Polyester resin is added to the product. Their main approach is to combine tradition with modernity, and use lamination method to complete the fiber processing and manufacturing of 3-D protective clothing. Compared with 2-D, the preprocess of woven fabrics on the structure is divided into fiber X, Y, Z oriented fabrics. It gives bulletproof the best function of dissipating impact, and has a stronger resistance to impact. 3-D has unmatched bulletproof performance. It resists impact by layering. Another company uses the technology of S-2 glass and carbon fiber to develop and manufacture a new generation of bulletproof clothing, and also uses high temperature resistant ceramic fiber to develop matrix composite bulletproof materials.

TEAM Company of the United States, however, is innovative and adopts another method to provide multiple and single fiber bulletproof armor materials to the US military. The advantage of this material is to reduce the cost of a new generation of bulletproof fiber materials. The single and multiple fibers provided by the company contain 10% carbon fiber and 90% S-glass material. The batch production speed is extremely fast, and the cost can be reduced. It can be controlled by computer and customized by users. In addition, optimal design can provide cost and quality optimization. The thickness is customized according to the requirements of S-glass, which can replace E-glass. The cost of E-glass is only 10% of that of S-glass, but its strength and hardness are not satisfactory. However, this weakness can be solved by designing high-density polyethylene and carbon fiber.

Another enterprise, 3TEX Composite Material Company, has also begun to weave customized 3-D protective devices, whose trademark is 3WEAVE. Because its cross coiled material can damage and reduce the fabric performance, they can change its thickness and user needs, and the extreme thickness can reach 12 inches. Recently, the company's primary products have been used in various protective facilities, such as armored doors, armored floors, armored vehicles, navigation equipment, etc. 3TEX can also produce body armor. In addition, they have begun to develop and produce composite bulletproof systems for the U.S. Homeland Security Agency, as well as blast proof systems for the exterior and interior walls of government office buildings. Surprisingly, 3TEX can make bulletproof vest fiber materials, glass fibers, and high molecular weight polyethylene fibers tailored for users. All the carbon fibers needed are from the United States.

　　 New material optimization solution

The US military has made the final new generation of soldier helmet (called enhanced combat helmet ECH), which will be officially put into use this year. The inner helmet contains carbon fiber material, which is soft inside and hard outside, lightweight, and made of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber. The weight of the helmet is 20% less than that of the past. This material is developed by Honeywell Composite Materials Co., Ltd. and contains a kind of carbolic resin material.

Nevertheless, many high-tech fiber enterprises in the United States are still constantly researching and developing, and suppliers and designers hope to see more efficient fiber products. The prominent features are high efficiency and low cost. In such a high tide of development, DuPont also refused to be lonely. Its protective material company began to provide many manufacturers with material samples from design to experiment to accurately evaluate its economic and practical value, the most important of which is to meet the military and non military application standards of the United States. As early as last year, the US military held an innovative exhibition on new designs of military equipment and multi-purpose helmets.

American media believe that this kind of commercial, low weight, low cost, composite fiber protective safety product is unparalleled. At the same time, the US Department of Defense requires multifunctional structures and multiple body protection functions for military supplies.

Although the world is changing with each passing day and products are constantly innovating, safety is always the most important for people. Whether it is an individual, an organization or an aircraft, a warship, a car or a building, these safety will become the top priority in the future. The US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have shown that bulletproof protective materials have become an important target for the development of fiber materials in the future.