C EN BUSINESS BATTLE TESTED 1 of 4 http pubs acs org isubscribe journals cen 83 i31 print 8331bus1 html August 1 2005 Volume 83 Number 31 pp 18 22 BATTLE TESTED High performance fiber makers respond to demand from military and security users SUIT OF ARMOR Dyneema fiber composite protects the Sikorsky CH 35 helicopter DSM PHOTO MARC S REISCH C EN NORTHEAST NEWS BUREAU DuPont Honeywell DSM and Teijin are all building new capacity to supply the high performance fibers that make flexible lightweight and bulletproof fabrics It is all about gaining an edge These big fiber makers and a newcomer Magellan Systems International mean to increase the chances that soldiers first responders and others will survive in war zones or in case of terrorist attacks Not surprisingly it is military and civil defense organizations that provide much of the driving force for fibers research and capacity increases According to the U S Army Natick Soldier Center NSC which develops equipment to support soldiers body armor has saved dozens of lives in Afghanistan and Iraq p Aramid and high performance polyethylene HPPE fibers incorporated into helmets flexible vests and rigid chest plates have done their job well but they are among the heaviest items worn or carried by troops To be sure protective gear has come a long way since ground troops wore nylon flak vests and steel helmets in the 1960s In the 1980s p aramid vests and helmets came into use and provided a much higher level of protection Improved versions of HPPE and DuPont s Kevlar p aramid fiber further improved ballistic protection and were 25 lighter than an earlier generation But now the Army is on the hunt for even lighter fibers to reduce the load on a soldier and add further protection Civil defense and first responders also have an interest in such new developments A superfiber called M5 made by eight year old Magellan may be part of the solution In the meantime existing fiber producers are competing to ramp up capacity and provide fiber for military and security gear High strength fiber producers have issued regular capacity increase announcements in recent years In June 2004 DuPont said it would spend 70 million to boost global capacity for Kevlar p aramid fiber by more than 10 The expansions to be completed by the middle of 2006 follow three other expansions completed between 2000 and 2003 at DuPont sites in Richmond Va and Maydown Northern Ireland The firm cites safety and security needs as the motivation for the expansions Teijin which expanded its aramid fiber business when it purchased Akzo Nobel s Twaron 8 5 2005 10 58 AM C EN BUSINESS BATTLE TESTED 2 of 4 http pubs acs org isubscribe journals cen 83 i31 print 8331bus1 html p aramid fiber portfolio in 2000 has also been increasing capacity In March the DuPont competitor started the third expansion since 2000 of Twaron capacity in Emmen and Delfzijl the Netherlands The 185 million 20 capacity increase is to be completed in the second half of 2006 It will come on top of a 50 boost in 2003 and a 10 boost in capacity set to be completed by the end of September When all the projects are completed Teijin says it will have 23 000 metric tons of Twaron capacity Bullet resistant vests and helmets vehicle armor and blast mitigation materials are among the growing markets Teijin cited as being responsible for increased fiber demand DSM which produces Dyneema HPPE fiber in Heerlen the Netherlands opened its first U S Dyneema fiber plant in Greenville N C in May 2004 The line has a capacity of up to 750 metric tons per year Initial output was dedicated to U S military requests due to the current situation of increased demand for personal security and protection against terrorism in the U S according to a DSM announcement A second fiber line that a spokesman says will begin operating by the end of this year is under construction in Greenville And this past February DSM said it would spend 50 million to build yet a third fiber line in Greenville When the final line opens in the third quarter of 2006 DSM claims it will be the largest manufacturer of HPPE fiber on U S soil IMPENETRABLE Ceramic faced Spectra composite protects against high velocity rifle rounds HONEYWELL IMAGE HONEYWELL producer of Spectra brand HPPE and a DSM competitor has also announced a capacity increase Both DSM and Honeywell developed technology to produce HPPE fiber in the early 1980s Until recently DSM produced its fiber only in Europe and in a Japanese joint venture with Toyobo Honeywell was the sole U S producer Just after DSM opened its first fiber line in Greenville Honeywell said it would spend 20 million to boost production of Spectra That expansion now on line is primarily devoted to serving U S military requirements While the big multinationals compete in tried and true high performance fibers Magellan has something totally new In December the firm completed construction of a pilot facility to produce up to 60 metric tons annually of a soft silky blue fiber poly 2 6 diimidazo 4 5b 4 5 e pyridinylene 1 4 2 5 dihydroxy phenylene An Akzo scientist developed the ultra high strength fiber in the late 1990s just as the company was losing interest in the fiber business Akzo code named the fiber M5 most likely because the 8 5 2005 10 58 AM C EN BUSINESS BATTLE TESTED 3 of 4 http pubs acs org isubscribe journals cen 83 i31 print 8331bus1 html chemical name doesn t exactly roll off the tongue Akzo transferred its Twaron p aramid business to Acordis which sold it to Teijin in 2000 And 2000 was also the year when Eugene H Vetter Magellan s president acquired the M5 project from Akzo Natick Soldier Center is interested in M5 for use in personnel and vehicle armor flame and thermal protection and composites According to Magellan M5 is lighter and stronger than p aramid and HPPE fibers and has better fire resistance than m aramid fibers such as DuPont s Nomex It is unaffected by ultraviolet light so it better resists environmental degradation In a recent overview of the fiber NSC pointed out that M5 s mechanical properties are less than optimal under current processing conditions Even so in ballistic tests using composites incorporating bench produced M5 fiber NSC found that the composites provide performance almost as good as the best composite materials ever prepared for fragmentation protection NSC says it expects armor systems based on M5 to be at least 30 lighter than a Kevlar containing composite According to NSC only one other