Why is CF never used for armor?

[Ryan in SD]

Carbon Fiber is strong and light. Imagine a 1" thick slab of CF being struck by a bullet, will it survive common pistol calibers?

Normally some kind of epoxy/resin holds things together and makes it very rigid and brittle. Maybe theres a more gummy resin that will let it bend and still hold it together?...

[Rob454]

It might but then the bullet bounces off cause the vest is not catching it so you could get a ricochet in your arm etc or possibly someone near you can get hit by the bullet bouncing off.. CF is great for flex and bending but it does have limitations. Besides by the time you get done making it bulletproof the thickness will be cumbersome IMO and it would need to be form fitted

[E Pluribus Unum]

I doubt it would stand up to bullets.

Just because something is strong, does not make it good against flex.

Brittle steel is hard but it wont bend. Bendable steel is soft... so it bends... bullet proof vests have to disperse energy over a wide area quickly and I am not sure if carbon fiber fits the bill.

If you make it work, you will be filthy rich!

Ceramics and kevlar is where it's at right now.

[Quiet]

Ceramics and kevlar is where it's at right now.

Don't forget dyneema, spectra, twaron and zylon.

The cutting edge is all about nanomaterials and spider silk.

[iareConfusE]

I think carbon fiber can handle compression and pulling very well, but any strong lateral force perpendicular to the direction of the weave would probably break it since it's really brittle. Just m experience with carbon fiber road bikes. You can sit on them, bunny hop on the bikes, jump them off of cliffs, but the instant you crash the bike and allow the frame to strike a hard surface, it'll either crack, or if you get it to its absolute limit, will explode catastrophically.

[SVT-40]

I think carbon fiber can handle compression and pulling very well, but any strong lateral force perpendicular to the direction of the weave would probably break it since it's really brittle. Just m experience with carbon fiber road bikes. You can sit on them, bunny hop on the bikes, jump them off of cliffs, but the instant you crash the bike and allow the frame to strike a hard surface, it'll either crack, or if you get it to its absolute limit, will explode catastrophically.

What he said. Which when translated means Carbon fiber does not stretch. It breaks.

[audihenry]

What he said. Which when translated means Carbon fiber does not stretch. It breaks.

It's all about absorption of energy. Formula 1 cars use CF to disperse energy, achieved through simply breaking apart the CF as the car is hit. To think of it as having to bend is to think old school metal plates.

Even ceramic inserts are meant to be crushed upon impact.

[misterjake]

I say titanium plate.

[Spiggy]

Carbon Fiber sounds like a bad idea... I'd rather be prying a decelerated bullet from my body than bits of carbon fiber.

Titanium plates has been done, the russians have used it for flak vests in the past

[JagerTroop]

Carbon Fiber is currently used on some vehicular armor, but as it's been said, it's just too rigid for body armor.

Currently, Kevlar (or other aramids) combined with UHMWPE (Spectra, Tensylon, Dyneema), and a hard strikeface is the optimum setup. As strikeface/trauma plates go, Boron Carbide is king sh*t. Ceramics would be second best. In the past, thin plates of high hard steel were used, but they're very heavy.

Even E-glass and S-glass can be thrown in the mix. Ballistic fiberglass material is surprisingly resiliant. A 1/4" hard panel of S-glass will stop most any handgun round.

[Cyc Wid It]

Carbon Fiber is currently used on some vehicular armor, but as it's been said, it's just too rigid for body armor.

Currently, Kevlar (or other aramids) combined with UHMWPE (Spectra, Tensylon, Dyneema), and a hard strikeface is the optimum setup. As strikeface/trauma plates go, Boron Carbide is king sh*t. Ceramics would be second best. In the past, thin plates of high hard steel were used, but they're very heavy.

Even E-glass and S-glass can be thrown in the mix. Ballistic fiberglass material is surprisingly resiliant. A 1/4" hard panel of S-glass will stop most any handgun round.

This sums it up best.

[UserM4]

A little off topic but I remember watching a special on tv when some NASA lab was testing material to stop asteroid fragments for space shuttles and they'd shoot tiny ball bearing/BB's at tremendous speeds at thin wafers of copper or something, spaced evenly apart, and it would stop these bearings with just a few layers.

[orangeusa]

Ron Reagan had the same idea for ICBM's - SDI aka 'Star Wars'.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_Defense_Initiative

[badmonkey]

I think carbon fiber can handle compression and pulling very well, but any strong lateral force perpendicular to the direction of the weave would probably break it since it's really brittle. Just m experience with carbon fiber road bikes. You can sit on them, bunny hop on the bikes, jump them off of cliffs, but the instant you crash the bike and allow the frame to strike a hard surface, it'll either crack, or if you get it to its absolute limit, will explode catastrophically.

actually within any carbon fiber or fiber composite, the fibers handle tensile stress, and the resin handles the compressive stress. you are correct about perpendicular forces, though.

[BillCA]

The real problem with CF is lack of flexibility. That's why body armor still uses the Aramid fibers -- they still allow you some degree of flexibility while providing the bullet resistance. Adding rigid plates can only be done in certain areas without sacrificing your mobility and flexibility.