I recently spent some time in the U.S. and I’m always amazed at the respect and passion for their military. I went to a hockey game and we stood to recognize those who serve in the army and the local police force three times! We have pride in our Canadian military, but maybe it isn’t as constantly present like our neighbours to the south. Or maybe it’s just me.

But where would those who are sworn to serve and protect us be without first protecting themselves? Bulletproof vests are paramount to the safety of officers and the advancement of materials engineering (heard of Kevlar?) is helping to keep these officers safe. This is just the tip of the iceberg, so come to our April event to learn more about defence and ballistic materials!

Design, Fabrication and Evolution of Armor Products with Nanomaterials and Composites

Most Armour products are fabricated with commercially available raw materials. With the development of a new generation of nano and advanced materials, many products could see a quantum jump in product performance. The procedures in the development of an advanced armor product requires first setting the product performance targets, followed with the translation of product performance targets in to material properties. At that point, one can exploit the use of nano and composite materials, which offer properties unmatched by conventional materials. In this presentation, examples of armor products used in defense are provided. Major emphasis is placed on how new materials are selected and designed based on our materials knowledge. Novel techniques used in the fabrication of armor products are described as both nanomaterials and composite could be challenging to process. Finally, some properties measured from the armor products in the mechanisms of their properties are discussed.