Differences Between Aramid and UHMWPE

There’s more to protection than needing a firearm or weapon.

Top-notch body armor can do the trick as well.

Modern armor is bullet resistant. They don’t deflect them, instead catching it and preventing penetration by dispersing its energy across a wide area of fabric. It is very important that the energy flows away from the point of impact quickly so less energy is deposited into the impact point.

Polyethylene fibers have taken the place of Kevlar when it comes to modern armor. This is because of their significant reduction in weight and improved ballistic resistance.

Specializing in tactical body armor, Body Armor Megastore has a plethora of protection products, including bullet proof inserts and ar500 steel plates. We are your one-stop shop for all of your tactical need. For the purposes of this blog, however, we are going to distinguish the differences between aramid and UHMWPE polyethylene hard armour plates.

You can’t go wrong with either.

Advantages of Aramid

• Less back deformation
• Less overall blunt trauma
• Higher melt point 400 Celsius/750 Fahrenheit
• Very resistant to impact and abrasion damage
• High strength

Disadvantages of Aramid

• Weighs slightly more than UHMWPE
• Decays faster due to the contact from water and air
• Poor compressive properties
• Degradated by UV light
• Hard to cut without special equipment

Advantages of UHMWPE

• Light weight
• Effect is 40 percent stronger when the temperature is less than 90 degrees
• Decays slow from water and air
• Phenomenal chemical resistance

Disadvantages of UHMWPE

• Melting point is 130 celsius/266 fahrenheit
• High modulus of elasticity
• The backface concave is more than aramid
• Performance degradation if the temperature is higher than 90 celsius

While Aramid does decay faster because they absorb moisture, we at Body Armor Megastore put all of our material inside a ripstop water tight nylon sleeve. We also stand by our five-year warranty, one that you will get with any traditional IIIa body armor provider.

For more additional information about Body Armor Megastore and our vast variety of products, we encourage you to check out our website at https://bambodyarmor.wpenginepowered.com or give us a call at 51-ARMOR-GUY.