Bulletproof plates are regarded as the life support of soldiers on the battlefield and are valued by the military of various countries. Metal, PE, Aramid has always been the only choice people use to make protective equipment. Until the 1990s, the emergence and application of high-strength ceramics promoted the innovation of products and technologies in the bulletproof industry. Ceramic bulletproof inserts began to sweep the entire bulletproof equipment market and became The mainstream product in the bulletproof market.

The use of ceramics can be traced back to 1918, which means that ceramics is one of the hardest materials, it has very large hardness so that it can break the bullet at the moment of contact with the bullet, greatly consuming the kinetic energy of the bullet projectile. There are many ceramics used in the market for the manufacture of bulletproof inserts, including boron carbide, alumina, silicon carbide, titanium boride, aluminum nitride, and synthetic diamond composite materials (artificial diamond composite materials), etc. The ceramic materials currently used are Alumina, silicon carbide, and boron carbide.

Ceramic plates have many advantages:

1. Better ballistic performance

Compared with the previous pure metal plates, ceramic plates have much better ballistic resistance. This is due to their special molecular structure characteristics. They are usually in the form of composite blends, and many ceramic plates have Polyethylene or Kevlar blend backs. That is, it is composed of a single piece of ceramic or ceramic-metal composite covered with a nylon cloth layer combined with high tensile strength organic fibers. The strength of the ceramic plate is very large. Therefore, the bullet will be crushed at the moment of contact with the bullet and the ceramic plate It will be cracked by impact fragmentation, and in the process, most of the bullet's kinetic energy will be dispersed and consumed, and finally, the fragmented projectile will be intercepted and captured by the high-performance fiber backboard.

2. High strength and lightweight

We all know that the effects of force are mutual. In order to destroy the bullet at the moment of collision with the bullet, this requires the ceramic itself to have a hardness that can offset the kinetic energy of the high-speed bullet. Therefore, the strength of the ceramic insert is very high. At the same time, a NIJ III ceramic insert usually weighs only 2 kg and weighs 4.5 to 5 pounds. Anyone who understands the improvement of bulletproof products knows that the disadvantage of heavy weight of bulletproof inserts has always been one of the most concerned and difficult problems that people need to solve. The lighter weight board can greatly reduce the user's physical exertion, and at the same time can be more flexible for tactical activities. Therefore, ceramic inserts are more popular among some users than metal inserts.

3. Stable material structure

Ceramic material has always been one of the very stable materials, and its special molecular structure makes it have super creep resistance. Unlike some pure high-performance fiber material inserts such as PE plates, ceramic inserts can withstand A lot of pressure and no deformation. In addition, its water resistance, heat resistance, and ultraviolet resistance are good, and it can be used and stored under various environmental conditions.

Everything has two sides, and ceramic inserts are no exception. Here we talk about its shortcomings:

1. High cost

Ceramic bulletproof inserts are more difficult to manufacture, and quality control is often not possible during the production process. Because it requires special materials and manufacturing processes, the cost of ceramic inserts is the highest in the current bulletproof vest market. Compared with bulletproof steel plates of the same defensive level, the price of ceramic plates is at least 200% higher, which is a considerable expense for the army that requires large quantities of procurement and equipment.

Among them, such as boron carbide ceramics, the price itself is very expensive, which makes it more expensive.

Here is my understanding of bulletproof boards, for the life of soldiers, providing better protection should be placed in the first place