Research On Engineering Material Kevlar And Its Applications (Research Paper Sample)

Bullet Prove Material: Kevlar
Student’s Name
Name of institution
Bullet Proof Material: Kevlar
Part A - Narrative and Bridge
My topic of interest in material science is in the manufacture of bulletproofs. This is a body armor material used in the manufacture of bulletproofs. It is fascinating how such a piece of small material can resist a large magnitude force from a bullet. A bullet has a force capable of driving it through a concrete wall but here is a material which is small and light but has the potential to prevent the bullet from going through a human body and save lives. My fascination about this material started when I saw it used in some action movies by the law enforcement officers and when an officer got shot wearing some type of body armor which was referred to as a bulletproof vest, they survived. Then I learned that the piece of cloth that could stop a bullet was referred to as bullet proof vest. Because of seeing its application in the movies only and not seeing its application in real life, I thought this was just some science fiction material which was yet to be invented. Even though a person hit by a bullet survived, they still behaved to have felt the bullet impact. How did this happen while the bulletproof vest had stopped the bullet from going in? More mind-blowing questions about this material ran through my mind and I had to do something to get a grasp of what is happening. Was the bullet proof vest a truth or a myth?
I still know little about the bulletproof material as per the time of the research. Everything about it seems so new and fictitious. All I know is that it has the ability to stop a bullet and assumed it must be some hard metallic compound like steel and since it can be worn it is light. To find out about these characteristics and information about the bullet proof material, I intend to carry out a library research on the subject by using the resources available on the internet, use of journals or publications and through reading books.
Part B - Research Process and Findings
In the search to reveal the truth behind the mysterious bullet proof vest and answer the questions that have always bothered me, I took a search on the internet where I found a number of companies manufacturing the bulletproof materials.
What bulletproof vests are made of.
Manufacturing of bullet proof vests is a business that targets both the law enforcement, military and the common civilians. From my internet research, I discovered several companies that manufacture these vests for either of the listed categories. Some of these companies include Angel Armor, Armor Holdings, and Force One LLC among others ("Body Armor Manufactures | Body Armor News", 2017). I also found out that there exists more than one material used in the manufacture of bulletproof vests. Some of these materials referred to as bullet-resistant materials/ballistic materials or anti-ballistic materials used in the new age are Lexan, carbon fiber composite materials, Spectra and Kevlar. Kevlar has been the standard material for bulletproof vests from 1989(Renshaw, Renshaw, & Lister, 1999).
How bulletproof vest works.
Bulletproof vests are designed to protect human lives and organs by slowing down bullets and stopping them from going into their body. During my research, I found out that to perform this task, the vest was made in a way that when it is hit with a bullet, its fibers form a “web” network that traps the bullet. The fibers then absorb the energy of impact from the bullet and disperse this energy to the vest. The bullet then deforms and additional energy from the bullet is absorbed by each successive fiber layer of the vest until the bullet stops (Renshaw, Renshaw, & Lister, 1999). Because the energy is absorbed by the vest and the body, the individual in the vest still feels the impact which can lead to bruises or broken bones.
How Kevlar is produced
I stumbled upon a new discovery when I learned about how Kevlar is made. I learned that Kevlar is a polymer formed from a laboratory preparation of polymer poly-para-phenylene terephthalamide through a polymerization process. This results to crystalline liquid with a rod-shaped appearance which is then extruded to form Kevlar yarn. These form the Kevlar fiber which is then hardened by passing them through a cooling tab ("How bulletproof vest is made - material, making, used, parts, industry, machine, Raw Materials", 2017).
Advantages of using Kevlar
The advantages that Kevlar process it owes to its extraordinary physical and mechanical properties. It is strong and relatively light making it less cumbersome to have on the body, It is not affected by high or low temperatures because of its high melting points. Also, it is not affected by low temperatures(Matveev, Budnitskii, Mashinskaya, Aleksandrova, & Sklyarov, 1997).
Disadvantages of using Kevlar
Apart from its great advantages, Kevlar exhibits a disadvantage which makes it not a super material and to be used everywhere where tensile strength is a priority. Kevlar has a very poor compressive strength. This makes it least preferred in conditions of hig...