Light weight composite materials were developed to provide ballistic protection to automobiles against handgun bullets and to increase passengers comfort by the elimination of UV radiation and reduction of infra-red solar energy and interior noise, without compromising the driving performance of the car. Structural designs were incorporated to be able to armor the car on the assembly line with the added benefits of turn-over time, cost reduction and quality of the finished assembly.
Weight reduction of armor materials have been achieved with CrystalGard® and YellowGard®. For windows and windshield, CrystalGard® 17mm provides better ballistic protection against NIJ Level IIIA with a 27% weight reduction than the standard 21mm glass solution by using a double layer of polycarbonate. SolarBlock® eliminates the UV radiation and reduces 95% of the infra-red solar energy for added passengers comfort.
For the ceiling, doors, dashboard and trunk, YellowGard® provides more than 80% weight reduction when compared with steel and reduces interior noise. YellowGard® is a thermo-formable Kevlar® fabric coated with a thermoplastic resin developed for ease of installation during assembly, resistance to high temperature and humidity, and reduced delamination upon multiple bullet hits.
Advantages of online assembly of ballistic protection include the reinforcement of the door latch and column areas for durability, the adjustment of the suspension system to the original driving performance changed due to the extra weight, and the installation of the Kevlar® panels to the frame and doors during the assembly of the car to avoid cutting and welding the frame structure.