You have probably heard about kevlar before, but wondered what it is and what it is used for? Kevlar is developed and owned by the company Dupont, and is a SUPER-STRONG plastic material. This super strong fiber material is best known for being used in bulletproof and stab-resistant vests.
So what makes kevlar so super strong? Kevlar is made up of woven fibers in several layers and is five times stronger than steel. This material makes it possible to produce lightweight bulletproof vests.
Besides being an extremely durable material, kevlar can withstand temperatures down to minus 196 °C. Kevlar is even a bit stronger at these low temperatures. At higher temperatures, however, kevlar loses some of its ability by about 10-20%, and after prolonged exposure to high temperatures, this is further reduced. An example of this is that kevlar loses 10% strength if exposed to 160 °C for 500 hours, and at 260 °C for just 70 hours it loses 50% of its strength.
Kevlar is perfect for protection against bullets and knife stabs, as the material can handle large amounts of energy. It requires a very high energy level to separate the tightly woven fibers.
Read what is good about kevlar here!
- Kevlar is super strong with relatively light material.
- Unlike most plastics, kevlar does not melt.
- It can resist many different attacks from chemicals.
There are also other brands that produce implants in aramid fiber – for example Teijin, which produces Twaron. The Twaron implants from Teijin are equivalent to Kevlar and are of the same quality. In a bulletproof vest made with kevlar (or other aramid fiber), the aramid is specifically the part that makes the vest bulletproof.
The revolutionary history behind kevlar
In 1970, the groundbreaking Kevlar K29 was introduced. This material marked the first generation of bulletproof fibers, which could effectively be integrated into flexible and concealed bulletproof vests. Nearly two decades later, in 1988, Kevlar K129 came to market as the second generation of Kevlar fibers. K129 was an improvement in strength compared to its predecessor, K29, and is still a central component in many products due to its robustness and reliability. These generations of Kevlar have revolutionized safety technology and continue to be fundamental in the development of protective equipment.
In 1995, Kevlar Correctional was launched, and with this new type of kevlar, one could be protected against knives and other pointed or sharp objects.
In 2010, Dupont launched Kevlar XP – the very latest in Kevlar. This new material has an incredibly low weight, high protection level (NIJ IIIA), and a thickness of only 5 mm. With a protection level of NIJ IIIA, Kevlar XP will be able to stop projectiles from a Magnum .44 already after the 3rd layer.
Good alternatives to kevlar
An alternative to kevlar is UHMWPE, which is what the EA-TEX and Dyneema fibers consist of. The protection level in these fibers easily reaches the same height as kevlar, and all the vests you find at Elite Armor – whether it is kevlar (twaron) or EA-TEX (UHMWPE) – are at protection level NIJ IIIA. Read more about all the materials in our bulletproof vests here.