Bullet-Proof
Bullet-Proof Vest Made from Anti-Ballistic Fiber Protects from Bullets, Schrapnel, Small
Arms Projectiles
The bulletproof or bullet-resistant vest is an important form of soft body armor, used
by police forces around the world. These types of padded personal armor help absorb the impact
from bullets, shrapnel, and other high impact projectiles. Even though bullet-proof vests greatly
reduce the risk of dying from gunfire, many law enforcement officers choose not to use ballistic
protection because it can be very uncomfortable to wear.
This new approach to making bullet-resistant vests, using a non-woven fabric next to
the skin, addresses some of the wearability issues that keep officers from using soft body armor
on a regular basis. The non-woven textile layer in these ballistic vests also makes the material
stronger, lighter, and more flexible than currently available vests, while still being able to protect
the wearer from small arms projectiles.
Bullet-Proof Armor Protects Police, Military, Hunters
Ballistic personal protective equipment such as bullet-resistant vests, are used by law
enforcement agencies, police services, military personnel, security guards, and body guards
around the world. According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, on
average, one law enforcement officer is killed somewhere in America nearly every 53 hours, and
gunfire has been the number one cause of death for police officers over the past 20 years. An
estimated 250,000 officers in the U.S. are not provided with body armor.
In addition, many private citizens use soft body armor for protection during hunting,
sports, and for personal protection. According to statistics from the Hunting Education
Association, about 90 people die in hunting accidents in North America each year. Soft body
armor provides adequate protection against handguns, hunting rifles, knives and swords, blunt
objects, and other potential hazards to private citizens.
Bullet-Proof Vest is Made from Antiballistic Fabric that Provides Protection and Comfort
This ballistic personal protective equipment design is made of multiple layers of fabric.
The outer layer is made of a sturdy, abrasion-resistant material, such as leather. The inside
padding is made of multiple layers of antiballistic polyethylene fibers, such as Spectra® fabric
by Honeywell. Below that, next to the skin, is a layer of non-woven fabric, created by needle
punch technology, that provides comfort properties, as well as impact resistance.
This non-woven antiballistic fabric is produced using needle punching technology. A
needle punching loom entangles, bonds, and compacts loose fibers to form a fabric by the up-
and-down action of thousands of barbed needles. The structure allows greater compressibility
than woven fabrics and therefore more impact protection. Also, the fiber orientation can be
controlled and aligned to improve strength, while still maintaining flexibility. The greater
flexibility of the non-woven fabric provides less resistance to movement, making it more
comfortable for daily wear.
The non-woven fabric is breathable, wicks moisture, and reduces odor, which is an
improvement over existing personal armor which can be hot to wear and causes perspiration
build-up. The non-woven layer can be produced from many types of fibers allowing the fabric to
be customized for specific characteristics of warmth, wicking ability, or added ballistic
protection.
Ballistic Protection with Fewer Anti-Ballistic Layers
The use of a resistant outer layer combined with the flexible non-woven under layer in
this ballistic vest was shown in tests to reduce the overall number of anti-ballistic layers needed
to provide , Level II-A ballistic protection.Requiring fewer anti-ballistic layers in manufacturing,
the vests are less costly than other anti-ballistic armor, and they weigh less, about 8 pounds,
which improves wearability.
Antiballistic properties were also tested and confirmed to have a V50 ballistic limit
(according to US military standard MIL-STD-662F) which requires that the body armor stopped
half of the bullets fired at it.
Applications
law enforcement agencies
police services
military personnel
security guards
body guards
hunting
shooting sports
sport fencing
martial arts
personal protection
protection against handgun assaults
protection against shotguns
protection against knife attacks
protection against attack with a blunt object
Advantages
Requires fewer anti-ballistic layers to achieve Level II-A protection
Fewer antiballistic layers results in cost savings
Fewer antiballistic layers reduce the weight of each vest
Needle-punched fabric provides greater compressibility and more impact protection than
woven fabric
Needle-punching loom allows control of fiber orientation and alignment which improves
strength, while still maintaining flexibility
Greater flexibility of the non-woven fabric provides less resistance to movement, making
it more comfortable to wear
Non-woven fabric is breathable, wicks moisture, and reduces odor
Non-woven layer can be produced from many types of fibers, allowing the fabric
properties to be customized .
