English
polski
The invention of bulletproof vests is related to a work of polish inventors in the late nineteenth century. Today Poles are working again on the improvement of this invention. The scientists from Technical University in Warsaw, Institute of Security Technologies Moratex in Lodz and Military Institute of Armament Technology created a product which can improve protective properties of bulletproof vests.
The invention of bulletproof vests
The bulletproof vest was created thanks to work of two polish inventors: Jan Szczepanik and Kazimierz Żegleń. Żegleń was a priest living in the United States. He was once a witness to assasination attempt. Later he decided to design a kind of lightweight armor to protect people in the future. The vest was made of several layers of close-woven silk impregnated with a special substance. The ingredients of the impregnant were kept a secret by the author. In 1897 Żegleń patented his invention. This way the first individual bulletproof armor was created.
The same time in his workshop in Vienna Jan Szczepanik was testing a bulletproof material. Tests proved that spread on the screen fabric which was also invigorated with a thin layer of sheet metal could stop not only bullets revolver caliber 8 mm but also Mannlicher rifle which penetrated 12 mm steel plate from 100 m distance.
Refined bulletproof vests
So far a ballistic material was used in bulletproof vests to protect against the dangerous effects of the shot. The material was rather stiff so it resulted impossible to use it for joints and neck protection. Polish product partly substituted a ballistic material with a special liquid, which reduces the weight and stiffness of the vest and the level it bends under bullets pressure. The process of the production of the mentioned liquid was followed with tests of almost 200 samples and took almost 2 years.
The usage of the liquid will allow to reduce the costs. The solution met with internauts approval and the product obtained the “Focus Lens 2015” price.
