Personal protection/body armor

Fraunhofer IKTS develops high-performance ceramics for individual ballistic protection. These ceramics combine low weight with maximum protection and can be integrated into protective vests, helmets, shields, and transparent visor solutions. Fraunhofer IKTS focuses on the development of customized high-performance ceramics and their integration into suitable backing and composite structures. In the next stage of development, the institute is working on functionalized protection systems that are given additional intelligent functions through the integration of sensors and actuators.

Services offered

• Development, adaptation, and optimization of protective ceramics (Al₂O₃, MgAl₂O₄, SiC, B₄C, TiC/TiB₂, diamond/SiC, etc.)
• Process development for the manufacture of components from protective ceramics up to pilot series production (shaping, heat treatment, hard machining)
• Manufacture of test targets and test systems
• Characterization of protective ceramics and protective systems
• Integration of sensor technology into body protection systems
• Robust protective housings for sensitive sensor technology
• Real-time monitoring of vital data (e.g., strain, stress, exhaustion)

In which areas of application are ceramic systems used in body armor and personal protection?

• Personal ballistic protective equipment (protective vest components, shields, helmets, visors)
• Transparent protective systems (ballistic protective windows, sensor protection domes) for vision and sensor systems
• Ballistic hardening of mobile facilities in civil defense
• Integration of sensor technology into portable protection systems
• Monitoring of the operating environment (heat, pressure, humidity)

References

• Ceramic properties under highly dynamic loads (Eurostars project ICOCE)
• LPS-SiC and LPS-SiC-TiC for personal and vehicle protection (cooperation with national and international industry partners)
• Diamond-SiC ceramics with high protective effect (investigation commissioned by the German Armed Forces; study conducted in cooperation with Fraunhofer EMI)
• Reaction-bonded B₄C ceramics for lightweight personalized body armor (development study in cooperation with the German Armed Forces)
• Transparent ceramics for ballistic protective windows (development study in collaboration with the German Armed Forces)
• Transparent ceramics for planar and spherical protective windows for highly dynamic loads
• Ceramic elements for flexible protective applications (3D topological interlocked structures for flexible personal protection applications, additively manufactured ballistic personalized body armor; development study in collaboration with the German Armed Forces)
• Decentralized monitoring of lung ventilation with Pneumo.Vest