History and Processes Kevlar is a strong material that is made strong and lasting using different materials and processes.The first process is to create the Kevlar itself. How this happened was that,
“in 1965, scientists from at DuPont discovered a new method of producing an almost perfect polymer chain extension. The polymer poly-p-benzamide was found to form liquid crystalline solutions due to the simple repetitiveness of its molecular backbone” (DPT Kevlar).
This demonstrates that the structure of the Kevlar is part of what makes it so strong and firm. Another process of making Kevlar is arranging the structure. For example,
“Liquid crystalline polymer solutions display a unique behavior under shear…Under shear forces, as the solution passes through a spinneret…the randomly oriented domains become fully oriented in the direction of the shear and emerge with near perfect molecular orientation” (DPT Kevlar).
After the Kevlar is made it is shaped until the structure is all facing one way. Another way to make the Kevlar strong and lasting is to delay loosening of the fibers. For example, “The supramolecular structure is almost entirely preserved in the as-spun filament structure due to very slow relaxation of the shear-induced orientation. This process is a…way to highly orient polymer molecules and to achieve very strong fibers” (DPT Kevlar). This displays that certain processes help strengthen and protect the Kevlar so that it lasts longer.
Kevlar chemical structure
Uses:
Kevlar has many uses. One use is helping soldiers stay safe. One way that soldiers use Kevlar is when they wear Kevlar helmets. How Kevlar works in a helmet is that, “when a woven fabric is impacted by a projectile, transverse and longitudinal waves are generated. These longitudinal and transverse waves travel along the yarns until they encounter an obstacle like a fabric edge or a fiber cross-over point” (Kulkarni, 315). This shows that the material stops the “waves” from a bullet that hits a helmet. In addition, other features help the helmets keep the soldiers safe. For example, “The kinetic energy carried by these stress waves is dissipated through a number of mechanisms, including cone formation on the helmet back face, deformation of secondary yarns, primary yarn breakage, inter-yarn friction, and friction between the projectile and the fabric” (Kulkarni, 315). This demonstrates that a functional helmet needs many elements to help keep soldiers safe.
However, there is a possibility that Kevlar will be used less if Dragon Silk becomes the norm instead of Kevlar. For example, “Kevlar is slightly more durable than Dragon Silk… However, Kevlar only has an elasticity of 3 percent, meaning it’s almost completely inflexible. Dragon Silk has an elasticity of 30 to 40 percent, which offsets the slightly reduced strength” (Thompson).This displays that Dragon Silk is likely a better solution than Kevlar for military use.
Damaged Kevlar Helmet
Kevlar also helps police officers while working in situations with potential gunfire. Bullet proof vests help with this. For example, “There are two basic categories for body armor: hard and soft. Soft (such as that made from DuPont™ Kevlar® fiber) is worn by most officers and stops most handgun bullets” (Today’s Police Body Armor). This shows that there are multiple kinds of bulletproof vests and that DuPont’s Kevlar is only part, even though a major part, of the equation.
Sometimes there are obstacles regarding bullet proof vests. For example, “The shells of a shotgun are very dangerous to bullet proof vests wearers because vests are not rated for these kinds of bullets…Shot shells do not have a consistent velocity” (Burton). This displays that “consistent velocity” is at least one part of protecting against bullets and needs to be researched more for increased use of different kinds of bullet proof vests. Even though there is this caveat the government still wants police officers to have bullet proof vests. One evidence of this is that “in 1999, the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program (BVP), a U.S. Department of Justice initiative, began funding ballistic vests for law enforcement agencies around the country... Agencies receiving funds are required to have a written, mandatory-wear policy for their officers” (Today’s Police Body Armor). This demonstrates that the government is very interested in keeping police officers safe and that they are willing to pay for funds for police officers to be safer while working. DuPont’s Kevlar is very important in keeping police officers safe.
Bullet proof vest
Kevlar also helps with smartphone function. One way is phone safety. For example, “Many people use a Smartphone on a daily basis without realising that some of the phones have a backplate that use Kevlar to help protect the inner mechanics of the phone” (Safeguard Clothing). This shows that Kevlar helps keep phone parts intact and functioning. Another important way that Kevlar helps with smartphone function is by dealing with certain side effects of some smartphone processes. For example, “Heat is another huge factor in the design of these phones, especially when using materials that act as insulators like leather or trying to design an appropriate way to dissipate heat across a surface being held by a human hand” (Holly). This demonstrates that it is important to businesses for consumers not to feel any pain when they hold a phone. These aspects show how important planning a phone is. For example, “It's pretty easy to argue that the phone's construction is the most important place that a phone-maker sends a message about the handset's personality and values” (Dolcourt). This displays that Kevlar helps make sure that the smartphone materials look nice and are efficient for business. In conclusion, Kevlar is a useful feature in smartphones.
Kevlar is also used in some shoes. An example of this is that the Company Nike provided some shoes that had Kevlar in them. There were certain features that Kevlar helped to provide. For example, “Kevlar® aramid, an advanced material typically used in body armor, provides a locked-down, protective fit with its incredible high tensile strength-to-weight ratio” (Nike Basketball’s Elite).This shows that Nike valued helping their consumers have comfortable shoes. Nike utilized Kevlar in some of their shoes to try to increase profits.
Kevlar is also useful in biking and motorcycling. For example,
“The tyres used on bikes have an inner lining of Kevlar that provides them with the strength they need to be able to withstand punctures while someone is riding. Motor cycle enthusiasts are thankful for Kevlar because it is used in many of the jackets they wear on a daily basis” (Safeguard Clothing).
Kevlar provides additional measures to prevent accidents in biking and more protection during motorcycling.
Kevlar is a material that can also be utilized with “pipeline” (workflow-process-service). For example,
“Kevlar® brand fiber… helps enable the trenchless renovation of many different kinds of pipeline in a fraction of the time necessary for conventional repair or replacement. …Kevlar® fiber helps offer…flexible, high-pressure plastic pipes that restore the efficiency of aging pipe networks” (workflow-process-service).
This displays that Kevlar helps companies to be more efficient with their time while fixing different types of machinery and equipment.
Reference Page Burton, Scott. “25 Things People Didn't Know About Bulletproof Vests.” Body Armor News | BodyArmorNews.Com, BodyArmorNews.com, 4 Jan. 2018, www.bodyarmornews.com/bulletproof-vests/. DPT Kevlar Technical Guide Revised. DuPont, www.dupont.com/content/dam/dupont/products-and - services/fabrics-fibers-and nonwovens/fibers/documents/DPT_Kevlar_Technical_Guide_Revised.pdf. Dolcourt, Jessica. “Why Smartphone Design Matters (Smartphones Unlocked).” Cnet, 5 May 2014, 10:39 am, www.cnet.com/news/googles-firing-of-diversity-memo-author-james-damore-was-legal-says-national-labor-relations-board/. Holly, Russell. “Yes, the materials that make up your phone matter.” Android Central, Mobile Nations, 7 May 2015, www.androidcentral.com/yes-materials-make-your-phone-matter. Kulkarni, S. G, et al. “Ballistic helmets-Their design, materials, and performance against traumatic brain injury.” Digital Commons , University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2013, digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1200&context=usarmyresearch. “Nike Basketball's ELITE Series 2.0 Rises Above the Rest.” Nike News, Nike, 20 Mar. 2013, news.nike.com/news/nike-basketball-s-superhero-elite-series-2-0-rises-above-the-rest. “SafeGuard Clothing.” As a Ballistic Protective Material, www.safeguardclothing.com/uk/articles/the-history-of-kevlar/. Thompson, Avery. “The Army Is Testing Body Armor Made From Genetically Engineered Spider Silk.” Popular Mechanics, Hearst Digital Media, 14 Nov. 2017, www.popularmechanics.com/military/research/a21793/army-body-armor-spider-silk/. “Today's Police Body Armor: Overt, Lighter, Smaller.” Total Security Solutions, Total Security Solutions, 7 Sept. 2016, www.tssbulletproof.com/todays-police-body-armor-overt-lighter-smaller/. workflow-process-service. “Strength Members for Oil & Gas | DuPont USA.” DuPont, DuPont, www.dupont.com/products-and-services/fabrics-fibers-nonwovens/fibers/uses-and-applications/strength-members-mooring.html.
Pictures References
Thomas, Cyril. “Kevlar Vest.” Wikipedia, Wikipedia, 23 Mar. 2007, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kevlar-vest-ct-wiki.jpg.
“Wikipedia Commons.” Wikipedia Commons, Wikipedia, 12 Jun. 2016, commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Police_kevlar_helmet,_Orlando.jpg.
“Wikipedia Commons.” Wikipedia Commons, Wikipedia, 24 Jan. 2007, commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kevlar_chemical_structure.png.
Kevlar is a strong material that is made strong and lasting using different materials and processes.The first process is to create the Kevlar itself. How this happened was that,
“in 1965, scientists from at DuPont discovered a new method of producing an almost perfect polymer chain extension. The polymer poly-p-benzamide was found to form liquid crystalline solutions due to the simple repetitiveness of its molecular backbone” (DPT Kevlar).
This demonstrates that the structure of the Kevlar is part of what makes it so strong and firm. Another process of making Kevlar is arranging the structure. For example,
“Liquid crystalline polymer solutions display a unique behavior under shear…Under shear forces, as the solution passes through a spinneret…the randomly oriented domains become fully oriented in the direction of the shear and emerge with near perfect molecular orientation” (DPT Kevlar).
After the Kevlar is made it is shaped until the structure is all facing one way. Another way to make the Kevlar strong and lasting is to delay loosening of the fibers. For example, “The supramolecular structure is almost entirely preserved in the as-spun filament structure due to very slow relaxation of the shear-induced orientation. This process is a…way to highly orient polymer molecules and to achieve very strong fibers” (DPT Kevlar). This displays that certain processes help strengthen and protect the Kevlar so that it lasts longer.
Uses:
Kevlar has many uses. One use is helping soldiers stay safe. One way that soldiers use Kevlar is when they wear Kevlar helmets. How Kevlar works in a helmet is that, “when a woven fabric is impacted by a projectile, transverse and longitudinal waves are generated. These longitudinal and transverse waves travel along the yarns until they encounter an obstacle like a fabric edge or a fiber cross-over point” (Kulkarni, 315). This shows that the material stops the “waves” from a bullet that hits a helmet. In addition, other features help the helmets keep the soldiers safe. For example, “The kinetic energy carried by these stress waves is dissipated through a number of mechanisms, including cone formation on the helmet back face, deformation of secondary yarns, primary yarn breakage, inter-yarn friction, and friction between the projectile and the fabric” (Kulkarni, 315). This demonstrates that a functional helmet needs many elements to help keep soldiers safe.
However, there is a possibility that Kevlar will be used less if Dragon Silk becomes the norm instead of Kevlar. For example, “Kevlar is slightly more durable than Dragon Silk… However, Kevlar only has an elasticity of 3 percent, meaning it’s almost completely inflexible. Dragon Silk has an elasticity of 30 to 40 percent, which offsets the slightly reduced strength” (Thompson).This displays that Dragon Silk is likely a better solution than Kevlar for military use.
Kevlar also helps police officers while working in situations with potential gunfire. Bullet proof vests help with this. For example, “There are two basic categories for body armor: hard and soft. Soft (such as that made from DuPont™ Kevlar® fiber) is worn by most officers and stops most handgun bullets” (Today’s Police Body Armor). This shows that there are multiple kinds of bulletproof vests and that DuPont’s Kevlar is only part, even though a major part, of the equation.
Sometimes there are obstacles regarding bullet proof vests. For example, “The shells of a shotgun are very dangerous to bullet proof vests wearers because vests are not rated for these kinds of bullets…Shot shells do not have a consistent velocity” (Burton). This displays that “consistent velocity” is at least one part of protecting against bullets and needs to be researched more for increased use of different kinds of bullet proof vests. Even though there is this caveat the government still wants police officers to have bullet proof vests. One evidence of this is that “in 1999, the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program (BVP), a U.S. Department of Justice initiative, began funding ballistic vests for law enforcement agencies around the country... Agencies receiving funds are required to have a written, mandatory-wear policy for their officers” (Today’s Police Body Armor). This demonstrates that the government is very interested in keeping police officers safe and that they are willing to pay for funds for police officers to be safer while working. DuPont’s Kevlar is very important in keeping police officers safe.
Kevlar also helps with smartphone function. One way is phone safety. For example, “Many people use a Smartphone on a daily basis without realising that some of the phones have a backplate that use Kevlar to help protect the inner mechanics of the phone” (Safeguard Clothing). This shows that Kevlar helps keep phone parts intact and functioning. Another important way that Kevlar helps with smartphone function is by dealing with certain side effects of some smartphone processes. For example, “Heat is another huge factor in the design of these phones, especially when using materials that act as insulators like leather or trying to design an appropriate way to dissipate heat across a surface being held by a human hand” (Holly). This demonstrates that it is important to businesses for consumers not to feel any pain when they hold a phone. These aspects show how important planning a phone is. For example, “It's pretty easy to argue that the phone's construction is the most important place that a phone-maker sends a message about the handset's personality and values” (Dolcourt). This displays that Kevlar helps make sure that the smartphone materials look nice and are efficient for business. In conclusion, Kevlar is a useful feature in smartphones.
Kevlar is also used in some shoes. An example of this is that the Company Nike provided some shoes that had Kevlar in them. There were certain features that Kevlar helped to provide. For example, “Kevlar® aramid, an advanced material typically used in body armor, provides a locked-down, protective fit with its incredible high tensile strength-to-weight ratio” (Nike Basketball’s Elite).This shows that Nike valued helping their consumers have comfortable shoes. Nike utilized Kevlar in some of their shoes to try to increase profits.
Kevlar is also useful in biking and motorcycling. For example,
“The tyres used on bikes have an inner lining of Kevlar that provides them with the strength they need to be able to withstand punctures while someone is riding. Motor cycle enthusiasts are thankful for Kevlar because it is used in many of the jackets they wear on a daily basis” (Safeguard Clothing).
Kevlar provides additional measures to prevent accidents in biking and more protection during motorcycling.
Kevlar is a material that can also be utilized with “pipeline” (workflow-process-service). For example,
“Kevlar® brand fiber… helps enable the trenchless renovation of many different kinds of pipeline in a fraction of the time necessary for conventional repair or replacement. …Kevlar® fiber helps offer…flexible, high-pressure plastic pipes that restore the efficiency of aging pipe networks” (workflow-process-service).
This displays that Kevlar helps companies to be more efficient with their time while fixing different types of machinery and equipment.
Reference Page
Burton, Scott. “25 Things People Didn't Know About Bulletproof Vests.” Body Armor News | BodyArmorNews.Com, BodyArmorNews.com, 4 Jan. 2018, www.bodyarmornews.com/bulletproof-vests/.
DPT Kevlar Technical Guide Revised. DuPont, www.dupont.com/content/dam/dupont/products-and - services/fabrics-fibers-and nonwovens/fibers/documents/DPT_Kevlar_Technical_Guide_Revised.pdf.
Dolcourt, Jessica. “Why Smartphone Design Matters (Smartphones Unlocked).” Cnet, 5 May 2014, 10:39 am, www.cnet.com/news/googles-firing-of-diversity-memo-author-james-damore-was-legal-says-national-labor-relations-board/.
Holly, Russell. “Yes, the materials that make up your phone matter.” Android Central, Mobile Nations, 7 May 2015, www.androidcentral.com/yes-materials-make-your-phone-matter.
Kulkarni, S. G, et al. “Ballistic helmets-Their design, materials, and performance against traumatic brain injury.” Digital Commons , University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2013, digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1200&context=usarmyresearch.
“Nike Basketball's ELITE Series 2.0 Rises Above the Rest.” Nike News, Nike, 20 Mar. 2013, news.nike.com/news/nike-basketball-s-superhero-elite-series-2-0-rises-above-the-rest.
“SafeGuard Clothing.” As a Ballistic Protective Material, www.safeguardclothing.com/uk/articles/the-history-of-kevlar/.
Thompson, Avery. “The Army Is Testing Body Armor Made From Genetically Engineered Spider Silk.” Popular Mechanics, Hearst Digital Media, 14 Nov. 2017, www.popularmechanics.com/military/research/a21793/army-body-armor-spider-silk/.
“Today's Police Body Armor: Overt, Lighter, Smaller.” Total Security Solutions, Total Security Solutions, 7 Sept. 2016, www.tssbulletproof.com/todays-police-body-armor-overt-lighter-smaller/.
workflow-process-service. “Strength Members for Oil & Gas | DuPont USA.” DuPont, DuPont, www.dupont.com/products-and-services/fabrics-fibers-nonwovens/fibers/uses-and-applications/strength-members-mooring.html.
Pictures References
Thomas, Cyril. “Kevlar Vest.” Wikipedia, Wikipedia, 23 Mar. 2007, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kevlar-vest-ct-wiki.jpg.
“Wikipedia Commons.” Wikipedia Commons, Wikipedia, 12 Jun. 2016, commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Police_kevlar_helmet,_Orlando.jpg.
“Wikipedia Commons.” Wikipedia Commons, Wikipedia, 24 Jan. 2007, commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kevlar_chemical_structure.png.