Bulletproof is a misleading term used to describe body armor, security glass, vehicle plating, and many other product types designed to protect people from blasts or projectiles. We describe it as misleading as no material nor product can provide universal resistance to ballistic-grade impacts.

While a UL Level 1 ‘bulletproof’ window may withstand several concurrent shots from a 9mm handgun, the glass is likely to fail when struck with anything of a significantly higher caliber. Therefore, industry experts prefer the phrase bullet-resistant glass to bulletproof – yet even describing it as glass may be misleading.

Glass Vs. Plastic

Architects have exploited glass in homes, places of worship, stores, and virtually every type of building for centuries. Originally, it was reserved for luxury commodities and only the wealthiest of homeowners could afford glazing of any sort. Yet its optical transparency and extreme hardness made it the perfect companion to brick and timber for brightening interiors with natural light. Widespread industrialization of sheet glass production made it possible to produce relatively cheap windows on a large scale, and glass subsequently became a default architectural material.

The problem with glass is one of security. It has an amorphous structure, which – in lay terms – means there is no way for the molecules in a pane of glass to redistribute stress. This makes it incredibly brittle and prone to fracturing. Bullet resistant glass subsequently cannot be fabricated using purely classical materials (i.e. silica).

Introducing plastics into glazing systems provided a means for engineering glass with enhanced toughness. In materials terminology, toughness is the characteristic of being able to resist stress without fracturing – a property in which glass is noticeably lacking. Polymers, however, can be specifically engineered to deform plastically; absorbing the energy from impacts and redistributing that force across a wide cross-section. Toughened, or laminated glass, exploit this property by sandwiching PVB (polyvinyl butyral) resin between multiple panes, forming a hard yet tough layered system. These are defined as glass-polycarbonate composites or glass-clad polycarbonates.

Bullet resistant glass often relies on these types of systems to capture and retain incoming projectiles, but some eschew the use of glass altogether. Many bulletproof products are based purely on acrylic or polycarbonate, in glazing systems described as multi-ply polycarbonate or acrylic polycarbonate composites.

Bullet-Resistant Glass from Armortex

At Armortex, we work with expert suppliers of bullet-resistant glass to formulate high-quality security products based on your unique specifications. As mentioned before, nothing is truly bulletproof. However, we can guarantee a minimum level of security established by you and tested to the most stringent specifications in the business.

Simply contact us today to discuss your security needs, and we will be happy to talk about the levels of bullet-resistant glass we think would be suitable for your latest architectural problem.

Whether coming through the doors, windows or even walls, motivated besiegers will aim their assaults at whatever stands between them and their target.

The preferred port of entry for most uninvited intruders is straight through the door.

The standard office or house door is worryingly easy to break open with a minimal amount of force fragmenting the door structure. An aggressively applied shoulder or sharp kick can knock your door off its already weak hinges. This can and often does encourage even the most unskilled and unprepared thief to break and enter.

Blast- and bullet-resistant security doors represent a crucial investment in commercial, industrial, and even domestic settings. By selecting  physical security solutions, property owners benefit from the highest level of performance in architectural safety and security. These reinforced products are designed to absorb impact forces well in excess of those typically associated with manual forced entry. The added-value of this goes far beyond mere peace of mind.

Churches, mosques, synagogues, and temples play an ever-important role in our communities, bringing like-minded people of various faiths together to environments where they can safely practice their religion. Unfortunately, that spirit of openness leaves clergymen and congregations vulnerable to extreme opportunists. There is also the constant risk of violent, anti-religious activity too, which can occur in any number of guises.

Security has always been a concern for architectural designers and project managers, but the nature of the threats that we face in both private and public spaces is changing rapidly. This has mandated a wide-scale reconsideration of how we protect ourselves at home, at work, or in any of the places where we may be vulnerable to firearms-related offenses.

Building safer schools with the right infrastructure and physical resources to respond to extreme security threats is a key priority for school districts across the US. Since 2013, there have been at least 575 recorded incidents of gunfire on school grounds. The past decade has sadly been one of the most lethal on record with respect to school shootings, leading to 212 deaths in just seven years. Shoring up our school security practices is crucial if we want to stem the tide of gun violence on campuses through 2020 and beyond.

Keeping up with the changing state of security is a key ongoing goal in every market. Unfortunately, the threats that businesses and individuals face are evolving every day. While many industries are currently focussed on digital threats and data security, the danger of real-world physical crimes remains a true risk factor for premises across the US.

Integrated security solutions are increasingly commonplace in churches, mosques, synagogues, and temples. These houses of worship are the linchpins that hold religious communities together. They are central to how billions of people worldwide practice their faith, providing locations for like-minded individuals to congregate and share in the acts of worship. Unfortunately, that sense of harmony is increasingly under threat: 2019 was one of the worst years on record for attacks on religious communities and houses of worship.

Weaponry and defense are intrinsically-linked, with innovations in one inevitably being trailed by developments in the other. Improved firearms revolutionized military attire as armies the world over fought to protect soldiers and vehicles with ballistic-grade armor plates and textiles. Their success subsequently led to the development of high caliber armor-piercing ammunition – and so on.