ARMOR
Soft armor (Spectra, Kevlar or other polyethylenes) alone will stop pistol and shotgun projectiles but harder substances, steel or ceramics, must be used to stop rifle and armor-piercing rounds.
Steel is prohibitively heavy for the required anti-ballistic effect so most hard armor currently used by police and military organizations is made from ceramics.
In the 1970's manufacturers began to make ballistic armor from aluminum oxide that is 1/3rd the weight of steel for the same anti-ballistic effect. Since then a new generation of ceramics has been developed that is lighter than alumina and has significantly better multi-hit capabilities.
SILICON CARBIDE - The Next Generation
Reaction-sintered silicon carbide (RSSC) is 23% lighter than alumina for the same anti-ballistic effect and is therefore preferred.
One of our clients can clad our plates to an area density of:
- for NIJ level IV - 34 kgs per sq. meter ( 7lbs per sq. ft); a ballistic efficiency of 3.5.
- for NIJ level III plus - 20kgs per sq. meter (4.2 lbs per sq. ft).
Until recently, silicon carbide has been up to 10 times more expensive than alumina. We have developed a low cost method of production so we can sell our silicon carbide breastplates more cheaply than any other manufacturer in the world.
Our SAPI plates were recently evaluated by one of America's largest manufacturers of personal armor for the US Army and USMC.
Their conclusion:
"Simply the best we have ever tested and the only one to pass first article testing at the first attempt."
The picture is a raw ceramic plate from our factory.
Armor fabricators clad these ceramic plates to make
the end-product, an NIJ level 3 or 4 ceramic composite
armor breastplate, by cladding the ceramic in a
fibre-reinforced-polymer material (aramid or polyethelene fibre) as the spall cover and backing.
Our armor plate can be produced as shaped, continuous and weldable armor products.
The ability to “weld” our plates means that we can, in theory, manufacture plates up to
1 meter x 2 meters in size.
