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how did the process of fiber development go? sounds like kevlar was a non-starter, but you ended up with something similar? How many pairs of tights would I nee

how did the process of fiber development go? sounds like kevlar was a non-starter, but you ended up with something similar? How many pairs of tights would I need to stop a 9mm @ ten meters?

kathomuth 9y ago
We ended up using polyethylene based fibers, which have similar applications to aramids. They have taken the place of Kevlar in many applications because they are lighter and stronger. They were a better starting point for us due to the fact they come in lower deniers, but were still not fine enough - or the right color for our application. So we went directly to the manufacturers to develop our own variant.
- natalie_C 9y ago
  They are also naturally cooling and antibacterial.
plurgid 9y ago
Stop a 9mm @ ten meters from what? Even if the bullet didn't breach the fabric, the fabric is gonna breach YOU. I guess it might make recovering the projectile from your internal organs a little easier, LOL. So there is that.
- SimbaOnSteroids 9y ago
  It would still serve to slow the projectile faster than it would be without, if you slowed the projectile enough so that it stops moving a sliver sooner; it could mean the difference between puncturing an artery or not.
  - kathomuth 9y ago
    We haven't tested it for anything like this - so I wouldn't want to make any claims about the product when it come to something as serious being bulletproof. That said, theoretically it probably would have some sort of protective impact greater than having nothing at all. But again, not something we've done any testing on or can make any claims to.
    - exikyut 9y ago
      Reading this subthread I'm imagining the slow-mo of a bullet hitting ballistics gel coated/covered with $generic_amazing_bulletproof_coating, the impact, and the ripple effect. I can't help but wonder if something coated with something perfectly bulletproof might actually make things worse depending on the bullet's angle - for example, under ideal circumstances, a bullet could enter and leave and take out some fat - but if everything's covered, the whole surrounding area is going to get some serious bruising instead. Possibly. </Armchair commentary>
  - nordsieck 9y ago
    > It would still serve to slow the projectile faster than it would be without That's not even clear. One of the common problems for bullet manufacturers with the "FBI protocol" suite of tests used to be the "heavy clothing" test. Shooting through several layers of denim would clog the cavity of the hollow point bullets and cause them to over penetrate. Simply put, it's extremely difficult to predict how bullets will react to barriers of any kind in lieu of testing.

how did the process of fiber development go? sounds like kevlar was a non-starter, but you ended up with something similar? How many pairs of tights would I need to stop a 9mm @ ten meters?

kathomuth 9y ago

We ended up using polyethylene based fibers, which have similar applications to aramids. They have taken the place of Kevlar in many applications because they are lighter and stronger. They were a better starting point for us due to the fact they come in lower deniers, but were still not fine enough - or the right color for our application. So we went directly to the manufacturers to develop our own variant.

natalie_C 9y ago
They are also naturally cooling and antibacterial.

plurgid 9y ago

Stop a 9mm @ ten meters from what? Even if the bullet didn't breach the fabric, the fabric is gonna breach YOU. I guess it might make recovering the projectile from your internal organs a little easier, LOL. So there is that.

SimbaOnSteroids 9y ago
It would still serve to slow the projectile faster than it would be without, if you slowed the projectile enough so that it stops moving a sliver sooner; it could mean the difference between puncturing an artery or not.
- kathomuth 9y ago
  We haven't tested it for anything like this - so I wouldn't want to make any claims about the product when it come to something as serious being bulletproof. That said, theoretically it probably would have some sort of protective impact greater than having nothing at all. But again, not something we've done any testing on or can make any claims to.
  - exikyut 9y ago
    Reading this subthread I'm imagining the slow-mo of a bullet hitting ballistics gel coated/covered with $generic_amazing_bulletproof_coating, the impact, and the ripple effect. I can't help but wonder if something coated with something perfectly bulletproof might actually make things worse depending on the bullet's angle - for example, under ideal circumstances, a bullet could enter and leave and take out some fat - but if everything's covered, the whole surrounding area is going to get some serious bruising instead. Possibly. </Armchair commentary>
- nordsieck 9y ago
  > It would still serve to slow the projectile faster than it would be without That's not even clear. One of the common problems for bullet manufacturers with the "FBI protocol" suite of tests used to be the "heavy clothing" test. Shooting through several layers of denim would clog the cavity of the hollow point bullets and cause them to over penetrate. Simply put, it's extremely difficult to predict how bullets will react to barriers of any kind in lieu of testing.