Hello,
Does anyone have any experience working with ballistic panels? I was curious what is used to form the Kevlar 29 into shape? Epoxy resin?..thermoplastics? or is it left as a fabric and just sewn into place? Applications for these panels include military fuel tanks, armored cars etc…
Thank you!
Left as a fabric and sewn together. I made some sample panels for friends to shoot at for the classroom…but the class was dropped like a bomb.:rolleyes:
Hah understandable. How many layers did you use for your panels?
raises hand
I have worked with Kevlar/PP sheeting from Polystrand. The material is a board like material, maybe 30mils thick. Will NOT shear, meaning flat panels, or thermoformed into easy shapes. Also, I have worked with SpectraShield, which will shear maybe 1-2%. It is 30x harder to cut, and like many thermoplastics, is hard to weld together to hold shape.
On other materials, spectra that was braided with TPU and LDPE, S2 and Kevlar with PP, ceramics of sorts, S2 with PA6 as well. Also, a fun new material called Vectran used with PP and PA12a.
There are many S2/Kevlar with epoxy armor apps, and many more with thermoplastics. It all depends on what you are needing.
I think for soft armor, the kevlar is stitched in a quilt pattern. It also apparently can be sheared at 45deg to original 0/90, and that holds the impact load more in plane, and still is very drapeable.
For fuel tanks, I know many places will use a hardarmor, and then line the inside with a self-healing rubber, so even if there is penetration, it will not leak all over.
On avg, most ballistic panels out of kevlar/S2/Spectra and using thermoplastic or thermoset, seem to be from 3/4" to 1.5" thick to have any good V50 ratings using rifle rounds. Standard handgun ratings I do not know. I’m sure not as heavy duty as rifle.
Well, at a couple of Sampe trade ago, the Gerber machine people had many rolls of the coated Kevlar that they were showing off their CNC auto cutter. They were throwing out a dumpster of precut pieces a day of a vest shape!
I walked out of there (they knew me and let me take as much as I needed for the classroom) with like 4 bags of stuff of them. I didn’t have my full size Ford van or I might have loaded the van full up.
I made several, but never got around to testing them out. Still have them here…
5, 10, 15, 20 & and maybe more layers at a time. The neighbor is a hunter and was going to test them but…
I had a Kevlar/PP and SpectraShield cored panel once I asked to be shot by one of our interns over T-day or Xmas break.
Never did see him or my panel again…I still have no idea how it faired against handgun shots!
Maybe someone at dupont or other ballistic manufacture would share some advise on how many layers is a good starting point.
But, the only way to know, is to test!
I can forsee certain liability issues arising with saying “Use this and you’re good to go!”…
Now, I’m sure there are plenty of information sheets out there on Kevlar 29, including it’s tensile strength. Calculating the kinetic energy per square inch of a given type of bullet isn’t hard, so it’s then just a matter of energy vs ability to absorb energy.
There was a business located up the street from my former place of employment, named USAarmor or something like that. They used kevlar and stuff like that to make products. They even designed a 747 cockpit door but the airlines would not buy them from them for some reason… unsure. Probably because it was not FAA certified (maybe?).
Security IS the business where it’s at right now worldwide. You just about can’t go wrong getting into the security business. I watched a security camera company boom from a small business into a large corporation in a matter of 12 years… Pelco.
Doctors, nurses, security products and installation industry… you simply can’t go wrong.
Kevlar K129
Stops a bullet from a 44 magnum point blank. Would probably loose some teeth and break the jaw, but better than losing one’s head.
no no, IF they help, they would give a starting point. Depending on EVERYTHNG you do, makes a difference, and testing helps that. No one can say, use this many layers, and you are good 
And it is harder than math.
I spent MONTHS on a project, including WEEKS cutting material that is VERY cut resistant, and a PITA to layup…4 shots, and 20min later…back to the drawing board.