Ceramic Bulletproof Plates? Why We Stop Using Steel
Mar 03, 2023
In the impression of many people, hard steel plate is one of the best materials to resist bullets, because it is strong.
In another impression, ceramics are generally used to make exquisite works of art. They break when they fall. They are beautiful but very fragile. Ceramics can't stand the impact of bullets anyway. However, it is surprising that the materials used in the manufacture of modern bulletproof vests are not steel plates with strong hardness, but ceramics that break at one touch.
What's against common sense to use ordinary ceramics as bulletproof vests? The reasons are as follows:
Disadvantage of Steel Plate
We all know that the properties of materials are relative. Although the steel plate is strong, its weight is very heavy.If a steel plate that can block bullets is made into a bulletproof vest for level iv, the weight of the two steel plates in front of and behind the bulletproof vest will seriously limit the soldiers' ability to move in action.Do you think you can concentrate on fighting with a heavy thing? Better not take it with you!If the thickness of the steel plate is reduced to achieve the effect of weight reduction, it will not be effective in bulletproof.Not to mention the short-range design, even the long-distance design, will also make the steel bulletproof vest carried by soldiers sunken or even pierced. The soldiers were either seriously injured or killed.
The Magic Of Ceramics
Can the bulletproof vest made of ceramic resist bullets? The soldiers' answer is yes, and it is the best bulletproof material since the 20th century.At least in the past, soldiers could not be avoided in the face of death. The emergence of ceramics has completely changed this situation.Why does the bulletproof vest made of ceramic have this "magic"?In fact, if only ceramics is used as material, the bulletproof performance of bulletproof vest is not as good as that of steel plate.The reason why the ceramic bulletproof vest can be bulletproof is that a special fiber with strong toughness, namely Kevlar / Twaron / Aramid bulletproof fiber, is added to the ceramics. The hardness of bulletproof clothing made of Kevlar bulletproof fiber and ceramic composite material is much higher than that of steel plate. Why do you say that?
The Reason Why Ceramics + Aramid Replaced Steel
First of all, Aramid bulletproof fiber is a very dense mesh structure material.When this material is greatly impacted by the bullet, it will quickly disperse the shock wave ability of the bullet through the mesh texture, so as to achieve the effect of energy absorption.Just as the force of jumping from a high place to the ground is different from that of jumping on a mesh trampoline, trampoline will definitely be injured. Trampoline absorbs the impact force generated by the force diffusion of the human body, so that people will not be injured.Then ceramics can also play a second role, that is, to block the impact of bullets. Its bulletproof principle is the same as that of steel plate, except that ceramics and fibers can be well combined, while steel plate cannot. This is why most modern bulletproof vests use fiber + ceramic composite materials, and rarely use steel plate materials.
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