Advanced Body Armor Systems – Ceradyne Ceramic Armor Systems



	Advanced Body Armor Systems
	Vehicle Armor Systems
	Ballistic Helmets
	Naval Vessel Armor Protection
	Aircraft Armor Systems
	Homeland Security

advanced body armor systems

As a vertically integrated, high capacity producer of DEFENDER® ceramic body armor systems, Ceradyne is a key supplier to the U.S. Military and a vital resource to the defense industry worldwide. Ceradyne has developed an infrastructure that allows global support for armor protection through on time production of varying levels and designs within an extended manufacturing capacity second to none.

Hot pressed boron carbide and silicon carbide ceramic is integrated with optimized composite structures to produce rugged multi-hit armors. For lower cost NIJ level III and IV protection, a line of commercial DEFENDER® armor offers the best value choice. For steel-core ball and armor piercing protection that exceeds NIJ requirements, Ceradyne’s next generation technology offers the highest performance and the lightest weight available.

Shape Capability

Ceradyne’s unique hot pressing process enables the cost-effective production of flat and multi-curved ceramic plates. Customer specifications are met using in-house graphite tool design and machining for rapid prototyping of custom shapes and curvatures.

Ceramic Materials

For weight critical body armor applications, Ceradyne recommends hot pressed boron carbide and silicon carbide for high mass efficiency and high volume production suitability. Ceradyne can supply bare ceramic billets or finished body armor plates in quantities of 35,000 or more pieces per month.

Composite Backing Systems

Depending on specific requirements for weight, thickness, back-face deformation and cost, Ceradyne specifies one of a wide variety of composite backing structures. Typical low cost body armor systems utilize Aramid or S-2 glass/polyester pre-preg while Kevlar KM2® is used in cost-effective high performance systems. Polyethylene-based fibers (Dyneema® or Spectra Shield®) are also used in combination with a variety of resins chosen specifically to meet application requirements.

Multi-Hit Technology

For the most demanding performance requirements, Ceradyne has developed Advanced Composite Technology for Improved Multi-Hit Performance (IMP/ACT™) in its line of DEFENDER® body armor plates. IMP/ACT™ utilizes Advanced Composite Technology to achieve new Levels of durability with consistent high performance shot after shot.

Special Operations Force Protection

Ceradyne is the only vertically integrated company serving this segment of the DOD and SOF market. We own and operate the source of our raw materials allowing precise control of our supply chain. Ceradyne has committed resources to design and develop DEFENDER® ceramic based armor solutions from body armor to LTAS government tested and approved vehicle armor. There have been and continues to be multiple companies that supply armor solutions to the DoD and SOF but none are distinguished by their ability to react to new requirements and surge production demands like Ceradyne.

A variety of special operations forces use Ceradyne body, side and shoulder armor. A low visibility side and shoulder plate protects up to NIJ Level III+ threats when worn in conjunction with soft armor. Other side plates also provide NIJ Level III+ protection. A third special operations side plate delivers stand alone NIJ Level IV protection. In addition to ceramic armor plates currently in the field, Ceradyne continues to develop advanced protection for other vulnerable body areas including hips, legs and arms.

In-House Ballistics Testing

To ensure that advanced ceramic materials offer the highest performance with the lightest weight solution, Ceradyne utilizes an in-house ballistics range to test materials and body armor designs against a wide array of ball and armor piercing threats that range from 5.56 to 12.7 millimeters.

The ceramic strike-face of a lightweight body armor system shatters the bullet on impact. The effectiveness of ceramic is enhanced by a metallic or composite backing layer that provides structural support and absorbs residual energy. Properties of high hardness and strength, together with low density, impart the unique efficiency of ceramics as a principal component of advanced armor systems.

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