Fiberglass was first engineered as a lightweight alternative to structural materials for various modes of transit, typically boats and small aircraft. Yet novel design techniques and new methods of developing polymer composites reinforced with glass fibers unlocked a raft of novel qualities, including excellent impact resistance characteristics. The material subsequently emerged as an unlikely contender for ballistic protection applications. This potential was rapidly expanded and explored to the point at which fiberglass panels are now among the leading components for structural bullet proofing applications.
In this blog post, we will explore bullet proof fiberglass panels in more detail.
Outlining Fiberglass
Fiberglass is a reinforced material comprised of a glass fiber embedded into a polyester resin matrix. It can be arranged and flattened into a rugged panel which is suitable for a broad range of applications.
Roving is commonly used to weave functional textiles that can be impregnated with a liquefied polyester resin and formed into a flat panel. This is one of the primary methods used to manufacture fiberglass panels.
Generic fiberglass panels are unlikely to resist the direct or even lateral impacts of ballistics, however. In order to provide blast and ballistic security solutions, fiberglass panels must be woven from ballistic-grade fiberglass and impregnated with carefully-controlled volumes of resin-to-fiber to guarantee the desired end-product functionalities.
Explaining Ballistic Grade Fiberglass Panels
New generations of fiberglass panels fabricated from ballistic grade cloth and high-performance resin can be engineered to withstand multiple, direct impacts, from small arms fire and blasts. They can be engineered to meet levels 1 – 8 of the Underwriter’s Laboratory (UL) specifications, providing extensive protection from ballistic threats.
For example; Armortex® fiberglass panels of just a nominal ¼” thicknesses can meet UL1 specifications for protection from a 9mm handgun. Higher grade protection is typically afforded by thicker fiberglass panels, with roughly a nominal 1.5” thicknesses providing substantial protection from multiple high-velocity impacts.
Fiberglass Panels from Armortex
Armortex® is one of the foremost suppliers of ballistic-resistant security solutions in the US. We provide high-performance fiberglass panels for bullet-proofing facilities as varied as courtrooms, schools, and stores. Each of our fiberglass panels is woven in-house, utilizing a roving fiberglass textile that can stop, capture, and retain incoming projectiles with confidence.
Our extremely hard fiberglass panels are available in standard widths of up to 4’ and lengths of up to 10’. If you would like any more information about the performance of our fiberglass panels, please contact a member of the Armortex® team.
