General Why is kevlar used for body armour

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How does a bulletproof vest work? Yes, the secret is the bulletproof material used to manufacture them. Bulletproof materials absorb the Kinetic Energy of the fired shot and disperse it so that the speed of the bullet decreases to nearly zero, which diminishes the penetrating power and damage that is done.

The most powerful bulletproof material commonly used is Kevlar. It is a strong, durable, lightweight and heat resistant material that has always been used in manufacturing most types of ballistic, spike and stab-resistant body armor. It is light in weight and hence it is the first choice of those who work in war zones. In body armour industry, Kevlar is always admired as it can be used covertly or overtly. It works well to stop edged blades, spiked tools and bullets. Kevlar’s fibres are unidirectional and parallel to each other so the resistance of Kevlar against a force to prevent elongation is 8 times more than a steel wire.

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This is the most commonly used fabric in the industry because other than being lightweight, it is highly resistant to heat as well as cold and does not become brittle at very low temperatures. It is abrasion-resistant also of any kind. Kevlar is an ideal fabric for making body armor because it is corrosion and rust-free as well. It also absorbs vibrations quite effectively.

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Kevlar is classified into three grades according to its quality and end-use. Kevlar 29 is the most used material to manufacture body armor. Kevlar is manufactured by DuPont and it is their patented product.

Kevlar made vests protect against low to medium velocity firearm rounds. The more number of layers of Kevlar that a bulletproof vest has, the more protective it is. Depending on the grade of Kevlar used and the number of layers, vests can more or less be made bulletproof.

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There is no doubt that Kevlar is the strongest bulletproof material but despite this, it has the issue of being damaged by ultraviolet rays. It can break down when exposed to sun rays that have UV radiation. Frequent washing and use of bleaching agents can reduce the tensile strength of Kevlar. As such, in body armour vest or suit, it is covered with a thick PU coated fabric that protects it from sun rays and moisture.

Kevlar itself makes soft body armor and other materials such as steel, ceramic and Polyethylene are used to create armor plates that fortify the soft body armor.
 
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