Products and solutions Apr 15, 2002 2:00 AM
Titanium body armor vests for the police
Material from Deutsche Titan convinces Ministry of Interior in extensive tests
Essen-based Deutsche Titan is supplying custom-made titanium foil for use in police body armor vests. The new vests have already been supplied to the Berlin force, with police departments in other areas of Germany set to follow and serious interest being shown outside the country.
Titanium is ideal for this application: it combines high strength with low density, provides outstanding resistance to mechanical and thermal loads and is biocompatible. Titanium is just as strong as steel but only half as heavy. Weighing in at around three kilos, the new vests are significantly lighter than predecessor models, making them more comfortable to wear.
In terms of safety, the advantage of titanium is its enhanced protection against stabbing and splinters: Today`s police have to contend with attackers using anything from sharpened bicycle spokes to hypodermic needles. Several layers of 0.1 mm titanium foil offer reliable protection against such exotic weapons and also against splinters, e.g. from hand grenades.
The titanium foil is manufactured at the Essen plant of Deutsche Titan GmbH. Titanium sponge is first compressed into compacts and then welded under vacuum to form an electrode. The electrode is remelted in a VAR furnace to form ingots, which are subsequently rolled to foil.
These foils are then laser cut to the required size and shape in a specialized operation and then sent to the body armor vest production facility in Hamm.
For more information:
Deutsche Titan GmbH
Helmut Jost, Head of Sales
Tel. +49 (0)201 188 2245
Fax +49 (0)201 188 2511
E-mail: jost@dtg.thyssenkrupp.com