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Body Armor
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Published: September 22, 2006
Imagine a medieval soldier in full plate mail dashing toward the enemy. Now picture the same individual charging in nothing but his underwear. Which warrior stands a better chance? Almost certainly the one wearing body armor.
As this example shows, many people are familiar with the tactical importance of body armor without even being conscious of it. From the complex Interceptor vests worn by U.S. soldiers in Iraq to an undercover cop's bullet-proof waistcoat, body armor is instrumental in preventing many fatal injuries each year.
Body armor falls into two categories: hard or soft. Hard body armor is designed to deflect an attack whereas soft body armor is designed to absorb one. An example of hard body armor would be a soldier's helmet, which is made from material rigid enough to cause a bullet to ricochet off. Soft body armor, such as a bullet-proof vest, absorbs the energy from a projectile by spreading it over a large surface area. Ultimately, the vest reduces the stress of the impact and prevents the bullet from penetrating the human target.
But how does a bullet-proof vest actually work? Modern vests are made from layers of tightly woven ballistic fabric, such as DuPont's Kevlar fiber, which are coated in resin and sandwiched between two sheets of plastic film. Up to 30 layers of fiber and plastic are assembled and the entire unit is housed in a carrier, which is simply the vest's cloth outer shell. The numerous fiber layers act as a net, essentially catching the bullet on impact.
Kevlar is five times stronger than steel by weight and achieves its durability because its strands are twisted to increase their density. It was invented in 1965 by DuPont scientist Stephanie Kwolek and today has many uses, including making the ropes which secure the airbags of the Mars Pathfinder's landing gear.
However high-tech, Kevlar is not the strongest ballistic textile on the market. The second most common fiber, Vectran, is approximately twice as strong. Scientists have also experimented with the chemical components of spider silk, which are used to produce a substance known as Biosteel. Biosteel may be up to four times as strong as Kevlar, or 20 times stronger than steel, but is more costly.
Contemporary bullet-proof vests have only been achieved through centuries of technological development. The earliest soft body armor dates back to medieval Japan, where expensive silk vests were worn to stop low-velocity projectiles. The U.S. army began developing similar silk vests in the late 19th century, a project which gained momentum after the assassination of President William McKinley in 1901. It is even said that Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria was wearing an elementary bullet-proof vest when he was killed by a shot to the head in 1914, precipitating World War I.
Although the invention of Kevlar revolutionized police and army tactics after 1970, scientists have remained on the lookout for superior technologies. Liquid body armor, which inventors hope can be painted directly onto the wearer, are currently in the works at the University of Delaware. If successfully developed, this fluid technology will reduce both the weight and movement-hampering effects of today's average bullet-proof vest.
For the moment, however, the liquid (a suspension of silica in polyethylene glycol) has only been used to coat the Kevlar layers in traditional vests. It has successfully fortified bullet-proof vests against attacks from arrows and ice picks in laboratory experiments, which is no small achievement. Since bullet-proof vests traditionally only protect against blunt impacts, this stab-proof armor may truly contribute to saving the soldiers of the future.
So when might a mercenary in his underwear have better odds of survival than one wearing plate mail? Perhaps when he is painted with cutting-edge liquid armor. As current advances in body armor continue, one thing is certain: what looks tougher may no longer be tougher.
Bibliography:
Arndt, Michael. Body Armor Fit for a Superhero, available at http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_32 /b3996068.htm, posted August 7, 2006.
Bellis, Mary. History of Body Armor and Bullet-Proof Vests, available at http://inventors.about.com/od/bstartinventions/a/B ody_Armor.htm. Last accessed August 25, 2006.
Harris, Tom. How Body Armor Works, available at http://science.howstuffworks.com/body-armor.htm. Last accessed August 25, 2006.
Interceptor Body Armor, available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interceptor_Body_Armo r. Last modified August 18, 2006.
Liquid Body Armor in the Works, available at http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/04/30/tech/mai n614961.shtml. April 30, 2004.
What is KEVLAR,® available at http://www.dupont.com/kevlar/whatiskevlar.html. Last accessed August 25, 2005.
As this example shows, many people are familiar with the tactical importance of body armor without even being conscious of it. From the complex Interceptor vests worn by U.S. soldiers in Iraq to an undercover cop's bullet-proof waistcoat, body armor is instrumental in preventing many fatal injuries each year.
Body armor falls into two categories: hard or soft. Hard body armor is designed to deflect an attack whereas soft body armor is designed to absorb one. An example of hard body armor would be a soldier's helmet, which is made from material rigid enough to cause a bullet to ricochet off. Soft body armor, such as a bullet-proof vest, absorbs the energy from a projectile by spreading it over a large surface area. Ultimately, the vest reduces the stress of the impact and prevents the bullet from penetrating the human target.
But how does a bullet-proof vest actually work? Modern vests are made from layers of tightly woven ballistic fabric, such as DuPont's Kevlar fiber, which are coated in resin and sandwiched between two sheets of plastic film. Up to 30 layers of fiber and plastic are assembled and the entire unit is housed in a carrier, which is simply the vest's cloth outer shell. The numerous fiber layers act as a net, essentially catching the bullet on impact.
Kevlar is five times stronger than steel by weight and achieves its durability because its strands are twisted to increase their density. It was invented in 1965 by DuPont scientist Stephanie Kwolek and today has many uses, including making the ropes which secure the airbags of the Mars Pathfinder's landing gear.
However high-tech, Kevlar is not the strongest ballistic textile on the market. The second most common fiber, Vectran, is approximately twice as strong. Scientists have also experimented with the chemical components of spider silk, which are used to produce a substance known as Biosteel. Biosteel may be up to four times as strong as Kevlar, or 20 times stronger than steel, but is more costly.
Contemporary bullet-proof vests have only been achieved through centuries of technological development. The earliest soft body armor dates back to medieval Japan, where expensive silk vests were worn to stop low-velocity projectiles. The U.S. army began developing similar silk vests in the late 19th century, a project which gained momentum after the assassination of President William McKinley in 1901. It is even said that Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria was wearing an elementary bullet-proof vest when he was killed by a shot to the head in 1914, precipitating World War I.
Although the invention of Kevlar revolutionized police and army tactics after 1970, scientists have remained on the lookout for superior technologies. Liquid body armor, which inventors hope can be painted directly onto the wearer, are currently in the works at the University of Delaware. If successfully developed, this fluid technology will reduce both the weight and movement-hampering effects of today's average bullet-proof vest.
For the moment, however, the liquid (a suspension of silica in polyethylene glycol) has only been used to coat the Kevlar layers in traditional vests. It has successfully fortified bullet-proof vests against attacks from arrows and ice picks in laboratory experiments, which is no small achievement. Since bullet-proof vests traditionally only protect against blunt impacts, this stab-proof armor may truly contribute to saving the soldiers of the future.
So when might a mercenary in his underwear have better odds of survival than one wearing plate mail? Perhaps when he is painted with cutting-edge liquid armor. As current advances in body armor continue, one thing is certain: what looks tougher may no longer be tougher.
Bibliography:
Arndt, Michael. Body Armor Fit for a Superhero, available at http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_32 /b3996068.htm, posted August 7, 2006.
Bellis, Mary. History of Body Armor and Bullet-Proof Vests, available at http://inventors.about.com/od/bstartinventions/a/B ody_Armor.htm. Last accessed August 25, 2006.
Harris, Tom. How Body Armor Works, available at http://science.howstuffworks.com/body-armor.htm. Last accessed August 25, 2006.
Interceptor Body Armor, available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interceptor_Body_Armo r. Last modified August 18, 2006.
Liquid Body Armor in the Works, available at http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/04/30/tech/mai n614961.shtml. April 30, 2004.
What is KEVLAR,® available at http://www.dupont.com/kevlar/whatiskevlar.html. Last accessed August 25, 2005.
