Bulletproof clothing has become a fixture in popular culture due to its frequent use as a defense against gunfire. There are two different kinds of bulletproof clothing: ballistic and stab-resistant. Each type of clothing uses its unique properties to defend against weapons. These types of clothing are generally made out of one or more metals and fiber blends. Let’s take a look at the different metals that make up bulletproof garments.
What Metals Make Bullets Proof?
Metals that are harder than lead are generally used in bullets and armor-plating. As such, these metals are also used in bulletproof vests. Some of the most common such metals include bronze, copper, and iron. Bronze and copper are both metals found in the earth’s crust. Iron is another metal commonly found in the crust that is commonly alloyed with other elements to make it more pliable. So-called ‘iron metal’ is generally found in the form of iron ore which must undergo significant processing before it can be used in bulletproof vests or other applications requiring high strength-to-density ratios.
How Can You Make Cloth Bulletproof?
Bulletproof Clothing: A Closer Look
A 2,500-year-old shirt of coarse cloth was cut into 18 strips and then rolled with a leather belt. The leather belt protects the fabric strips. The design was found in an Egyptian tomb. [Source: Wikimedia Commons]
Tungsten Fabric:
Tungsten (7410) is one of several alloys for the production of tungsten carbide, W (WC). Its tensile strength above 825MPa allows it to be used as a high-temperature spring material in pressurized cells. The hardness increases from 28HRC to nearly 100HRC with a temperature increase of 0.5-1K/°C if used as a material for pressurized cells and springs, but not as an extruded metal strip or strip product. [Source: Wikipedia]
Copper Fabric:
Copper is an electrical conductor and has been used in bulletproof clothing since ancient times. It conducts electricity better at cold temperatures because of the weak covalent bonds between the atoms and its poor electrical conductivity the atoms. Copper tends to be a good metal to hide between layers because it is easily penetrated. Although water affects its properties, copper has been used in bulletproof clothing for thousands of years.
Titanium Fabric:
Though titanium is an expensive metal, it can be formed into three different alloys that are most commonly used in the production of bullet-resistant fabrics. These are Ti-6Al-4V, Ti-6Al-4Zr, and Ti-6Al-4MoV. A thickness of 0.3mm can stop .32 Auto ball ammunition in controlled tests with a total weight of 2g loaded into the chamber. [Source: Wikipedia]
Nickel Fabric:
Nickel, Ni, or Ni (55Fe) is an element with the number 20 on the periodic table and the chemical symbol Ni. It occurs naturally as small percentages of several minerals at different temperatures and pressures including magmatic ores such as copper, nickel sulfide, and others fineries process carbon to obtain “white” nickel from nickel 2 carbonyl sulfide (pale yellow): pure nickel appears colorless due to its high reflectivity (92%–94%).
Bulletproof Fabrics And Fibers
- Cloth has been used as armor and cloth body suits for both the military and law enforcement. Extremely durable, the fabric can absorb a lot of damage, but will still return to its original shape after many uses. A few examples include bullet-proof vests (bullets bounce off), safety glass, body armor (most effective when used with plates), artificial turf (does not allow a target to spot other people or things behind walls or low objects), space blankets (large heat-absorbent blanket that protects from heat loss), paper towels (they will float on water but quickly sink), and linens for surgical gowns. [Source: Wikipedia]
- Bulletproof Clothing is not just protective against bullets; it also protects people from other injuries such as knife attacks and stabs. Bulletproof clothing can be worn in two ways: as a vest or as a coat. Each type of bulletproof fabric comes with different usage instructions and designs so you have to read the instructions carefully when you are buying the material for your use. protect against heat, as it is a good conductor of heat. [Source: Wikipedia]
- Bullets passing through the cloth does not indicate that the bullet is touching the fabric. Because of a phenomenon called refraction, some atoms in matter bend light in such a way that they act like lenses, focusing light on its path. The threads in clothing do not obstruct the light as a whole – rather, only certain threads are bent.
- Sometimes, this focus can be strong enough to make holes appear in otherwise-bulletproof clothing. To prevent this from happening to your bulletproof clothing, you must first use thread with similar density or make holes larger than bullets can penetrate.
- Tungsten (7410) is one of several alloys for the production of tungsten carbide, W (WC). Its tensile strength above 825MPa allows it to be used as a high-temperature spring material in pressurized cells. The hardness increases from 28HRC to nearly 100HRC with a temperature increase of 0.5-1K/°C if used as a material for pressurized cells and springs, but not as work with when building up armor. Copper is also a good metal to use for bullets as it is resistant to corrosion and tarnishing, which may weaken a bullet after being fired into an object.
Copper Bullets
- Nickel is a silvery-white lustrous transition metal found in many meteorites; usually combined with iron in the form of iron-nickel alloys. When used as an alloy with steel, nickel increases hardness and decreases wear resistance due to its ability to dissolve into the steel matrix. Nickel alloys are also more resistant to corrosion than stainless steel due to their poor inhibitive potential on the oxidative attack. [Source: Wikipedia]
- Titanium is an extremely strong and lightweight metal and one of only two metals (the other being hydrogen) that cannot be commonly seen and touched without protective equipment. It is often used for aircraft such as fighter jets, helicopters, and spacecraft; automobiles including Tesla cars; and bicycles known as Ti-Frames. Today titanium supplements are being used for surgeries such as hip replacement surgery where the titanium implant replaces the damaged bone or use if you need to reinforce the fibers or if you want to make your clothing lighter because copper won’t rust. It is a good choice for fabrics that have a lot of stretches, like cotton.
- Copper is a naturally occurring metal, and it was first used by humans at least 6,000 years ago. It has drawn the interest of the medical industry because it is an excellent biological antioxidant. It is also used in many dental procedures and as an alternative power source for cell phones and laptops. [Source: Wikipedia]
- Nanodiamonds are tiny diamonds with nano-scale size. They have many applications in the semiconductor industry but are finding a niche in the field of cosmetics and personal care products as well. In 2008, scientists discovered that super small diamonds could potentially shield skin against skin cancer and sunburns caused by UV light exposure; their anti-aging properties could also help improve our vision and hearing while combating acne and wrinkles.
- Nanodiamonds have since been used in anti-wrinkle products from Estee Lauder along with other companies like Chanel, PUMA, Ralph Lauren, L’Oreal, Clarisonic, and Linea Skincare Products like the Diamond Oil which promises to reduce fine lines for over 6 months with continued use of 4-6 weeks per months.
Stabilizing Metals: Vanadium And Chrome
1. The ancient Egyptians used copper to make their clothing resistant to lead bullets. This was not until the 19th century that the modern bulletproof garment began to be made out of copper.
2. Bulletproof vests are designed for both casual and professional use. Bulletproof vests have some of the highest attack resistance values found on human body armor. These types of vests, usually made of Kevlar®, can protect against a pistol caliber or 9mm bullet or less, shotgun blasts, ballistic knife wounds, and club attack up to 1 inch in diameter (if round). A typical vest contains five layers and a thin layer of insulation between each layer—all designed to stop a bullet from penetrating through the layers and injuring its wearer.
3.Kevlar® is a laminate polymer consisting of fine fibers that are spun together into very thin sheets and then heat-set by applying high-temperature chemical reactions under great pressure. Kevlar® is capable of withstanding powerful chemical attacks without being damaged as it will not melt or rip apart when attacked by an acid or chemical agent such as super-acidic materials including nitric acid (HNO3-temperature materials. [Source: Wikipedia]
4. The ancient Greeks were the first to make use of leather belts to protect cloth that was used for clothing. The leather belt makes it hard for the knife to penetrate the fabric. Later, drill bits were added as another layer of protection. This way, the cloth would be stabbed by the tip of a sharp pointy object, like a knife but before it had enough time to 5. penetrate through the other layers of protection. When we look at bulletproof vests today, they are made out of different layers that are all woven together to make it extremely hard for bullets and other projectiles to penetrate through each layer and reach vital organs in humans. [Source: Wikimedia Commons]
5. Titanium is a well-known element found in the Earth’s crust in its purest form as titanium dioxide and titanium metal although it possesses several allotropic forms at normal atmospheric conditions, which are less well known but give titanium some unusual properties that make it suitable for use as a heat sink material or weapon [Source: Wikipedia].
6. Buttress is one of the original categories of lightweight body armor and was originally developed for military personnel to be worn under their uniforms at all times so that they would be protected if the uniform was destroyed by shrapnel or gunfire. Essentially, a buttress vest consists of many layers of fabric, which are bonded together with ballistic polymers while being layered over each other until they are equal in thickness to the user’s “muscle tissue” itself. The polymers used are usually either-temperature because the thermal expansion of copper at high temperatures is small. [Source: Wikipedia]
Summing Up
Bulletproof clothing is generally made out of one or more metals and fiber blends. Numerous metals make up bulletproof clothing. Each metal has specific qualities that make it ideal for protection against bullets. Some of the metals used to make bulletproof clothing are copper, nickel, DuPont™ Kevlar® Tungsten, and titanium. Each of these metals has unique qualities that make them ideal for protection against bullets. But no matter which metal you choose, make sure it’s used correctly. Not all metals make bullets proof, some make you proof against bullets.
