Bullet Proof Security Systems, News, Information | Demand TSS

While we sometimes flip flop between our use of the words “bulletproof” and “bullet-resistant,” the industry term is bullet resistant glass because it would be difficult to create a piece of glass the thickness needed to make it truly bulletproof while still maintaining visibility and communication.

There are two types of bullet resistant glass – solid acrylic and laminated polycarbonate. Solid acrylic is just as its name suggests – a solid sheet of acrylic either 1-1/4” or 1-3/8” thick depending on the level of protection required. Laminated polycarbonate is made by layering polycarbonate, a heavy-duty clear plastic, between two sheets of glass and laminating it all together. It can be ¾”, 1” or 1-1/4” thick depending on the level of protection. While a bullet will pierce the exterior glass layer of laminated polycarbonate, the inner layers absorb the bullet’s energy stopping it from penetrating through the entire piece of glass.

The newest form of bullet resistant glass is one-way bulletproof glass, commonly used in armored vehicles. One-way bulletproof glass is composed of two layers. The outside layer – on the threat side – is made of a brittle glass and the inside layer is a flexible polycarbonate. A bullet that strikes the brittle external layer first causes the glass to break inward toward the polycarbonate layer. The glass breaking absorbs some of the bullet’s energy by spreading the force over a larger area and the flexible polycarbonate stops the bullet.

Bullets shot from the inside of an armored car are able to penetrate the bullet resistant glass because they strike the polycarbonate layer first with more focused energy. The brittle glass layer then breaks outward allowing the bullet to pass through with minor energy loss.

GKN Aerospace, a UK-based company, was awarded a $425,000 contract by the U.S. Department of Defense to develop “bullet resistant windows that dim instantly with a touch of a button, providing ‘on-demand’ light control, privacy, and protection from heat, glare, and ultraviolet rays.” The initial design will be used in government VIP armored personnel vehicles, but the company hopes to ultimately make their “SmartShade Windows” available to the civilian VIP market.

Read “Military wants bulletproof, dimmable windows to protect VIPs” by Mark Rutherford, http://news.cnet.com.

Bullet proof glass may not be an option you need for your vehicle, but for individuals like President Obama, it comes standard. The newest Cadillac Presidential Limousine takes cues from a variety of Cadillac’s vehicle line-up and weighs in “at more than 10,000-lbs. Most of that is due to thick, bullet-proof glass and armor plating throughout. Even the tires are resistant to attack and contain innerliners just in case the outer tires are damaged.”

View a slideshow of Cadillac Presidential Limousines dating back to Taft’s presidency and read “Cadillac presidential limousines from Taft to Obama – history and review” by Craig Hover, Kansas City Automotive Examiner.

Bentley is getting in on the security vehicle business with their Continental Flying Spur. For $500,000, it “features military-grade B6-level protection and is fitted with ballistic steel, [ . . . ] bulletproof glass, run flat tires, an explosion-proof gas tank and kevlar flooring.”

Read “Bulletproof Bentley Flying Spur on sale for $500,000,” 4WheelsNews.com.

Bulletproof glass offers protection to those seeking safety, but sometimes individuals must respond with force and not just hide. The idea of one-way bulletproof glass has been around for some time and improved upon over the years. The objective is to stop bullets from entering from the outside but allow them to exit from the inside. This is commonly used in armored cars to protect passengers while enabling security guards to fire out of the vehicle.

The government used its first armored car in 1941 with President Franklin D. Roosevelt. After fear of a presidential assassination following Roosevelt’s “Infamy Speech,” the Secret Service used Al Capone’s recently confiscated 1928 Cadillac to transport the president. Capone had outfit the vehicle with “3,000 pounds of bulletproof armor beneath the standard body” and painted it to replicate the existing government vehicles. Read more about Al Capone’s bulletproof car and why the government couldn’t afford to purchase its own. (Image on right taken from FederalTimes.com)

How does one-way bulletproof glass work?

One-way bulletproof glass is composed of two layers. The outside layer – on the threat side – is made of a brittle glass and the inside layer is a flexible polycarbonate. A bullet that strikes the brittle external layer first causes the glass to break inward toward the polycarbonate layer. The glass breaking absorbs some of the bullet’s energy by spreading the force over a larger area and the flexible polycarbonate stops the bullet.

Bullets shot from the inside of an armored car are able to penetrate the bulletproof glass because they strike the polycarbonate layer first with more focused energy. The brittle glass layer then breaks outward allowing the bullet to pass through with minor energy loss.