A bulletproof vest weighs 2-3 pounds, about twice that
if you add the side panels and stainless steel, or ceramic
trauma plates that make it effective against stabbing.
And, if the thought of working in a stiff, five-pound garment
doesn't give you pause, consider this: it doesn't breathe.
 |
BUILDING A BETTER VEST: Subhas Ghosh,
a
professor in EMU's College of Technology, sports
a
a prototype of a bulletproof vest, for which he has
designed a protective
element. The element is pierce-
proof and thermoplastic,
meaning it protects the
wearer from stabbing attacks
and improves comfort
by transferring
heat away from the body. Graduate
students Natalie
Reynolds, of Elkton, and Sangeeta
Yaday, of New
Delhi, India, take measurements.
|
All of that, of course, beats a bullet wound, which is
why police and military personnel depend on bulletproof
vests. But Subhas Ghosh, an Eastern Michigan University
professor in the College of Technology, is determined to help make their
jobs a little safer and more comfortable.
Ghosh has developed a protective element for bulletproof
vests that's pierce-proof and thermoplastic, which means
the material can be molded into different shapes when heated.
All of this combines for protection that wears comfortably,
covers more area than the common Kevlar shields and protects
the wearer from stabbing attacks. A special underlayer
wicks moisture and transfers excess heat away from the
body.
"If you think of that bullet, it's a hunk of metal
coming at you at tremendous velocity," said Ghosh,
who has a doctorate in fiber science. "Stopping
that is no joke, so the first thing we want to do is stop
the bullet. After that, the best thing you can do is stop
it and hold it there. And, then, you want something that
disperses the impact.
"Comfortable, low weight, yet designed to stop a
bullet — that's our objective."
Ghosh's bulletproof vest uses three different, high-strength
materials made from different fabric formation processes.
It stopped a .44-magnum round in testing last spring.
"We ran to get a provisional patent," Ghosh
said. "The work will be continued to make it better,
lighter and effective for stopping higher-level ammunitions.
I just sent it to an outside person who does testing for
the military."
A standard Kevlar, bulletproof vest has a barrier made
from 30 layers of Kevlar fabric that slides into a broad
pocket in a nylon vest. The vest covers the chest and abdomen.
Vests are rated for specific weapon classes. Levels 1-3
are made to protect the wearer from handgun ammunition;
levels 4-5 are made for the military and offer protection
from automatic rifle ammunition. The vests EMU's Department
of Public Safety provides for its officers are rated level
2A, common for road patrols, said DPS Sgt. David Shefferly.
"They're supposed to protect from all handgun
rounds," Shefferly said. "It will not stop a
rifle round and it will not stop stabs, but they're pretty
good for a knife swipe or blunt trauma. Unfortunately,
there are some officers still around that say 'I never
wore one when I was young because it was uncomfortable.
I'm not going to wear one now.'"
Ghosh approached venture capitalist Dr. Louis Serafin
about the project. Serafin, whose daughter did her graduate
work with Ghosh at EMU, was drawn to the opportunity to
do something that would so tangibly help servicemen and
women. He provided $250,000 in funding for Ghosh to work
on the new protective element. Serafin is now negotiating
with the University for exclusive licensing.
"It's very interesting and, so far, the preliminary
things have gone very well," Serafin said. "Things
can go downhill in a hurry, so you don't like to brag
too much until someone buys something."
The underlayer fabric is manufactured in England, where
Ghosh has partnered with experts at the University of Bolton,
but Serafin plans to produce the vests in Michigan.
"I feel good that my effort would end up with a new
manufacturing facility in Michigan," said Ghosh, an
internationally recognized textile expert. "I feel
proud of that and I feel proud that I am making some contribution
to the country."
