Can aluminum be used in Body armor?

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in this project video we cover 7075 aluminum, a unique aluminum alloy against ballistic threats to see if it could be used in body armor or vehicle armor. I was an interesting set of tests, and now I think this might just be perfect my jeep project! consider subscribing! where I bought the 7075 t651 aluminum: www.midwestste...

[@wainr777able]

Military uses 5083 Class 1, per Mil-Dtl 46083 E. Its a strain hardened alloy, not heat treated. The T651 that you are using is a rolled plate or roll formed. The grain structure has been flattened and will delaminate upon deformation. You can see it in som of your pics. If your going to use 7075, get some T6511, this has been extruded and the grain structure will be much better. I've worked with aluminum for 40 years and could discuss much much more.

[@BrokeWrench]

The military built some armored vehicles out of aluminum. They offered the same protection but at a lower weight. Thick aluminum can compete with thinner steel while still weighing less

[@Techthisoutmeow]

Yeah, I'm excited to try out more of this stuff when I get some time. It did much better than I thought it would

[@azeke8]

Armor expert here. Use 5083 aluminium instead of 7075 as a backer for porcelain tiles. Due to its hardness, 7075 reflects the energy back at ceramic tiles, causing increased damage to ceramics. It also fails due lack of ductility. 5083 absorbs more energy and doesn’t create spalling. Old commercial ballistic plates, had alumina ceramic tiles glued to 1/8” sheet of 5083 with glued aramid backer (that remained slightly flexible for better energy absorption, not rigid like the epoxied stuff is). 7075 is a bad choice for armor in general due to how brittle it is. It is only suitable for use as an add-on strike face (1/4” thickness) in order to damage the steel tip of M855, if the original armor is akin to a NIJ III UHMWPE plate that is capable of stopping M193, but not M855. For handgun rounds, 5083 is also abetter choice, because it doesn’t increase the wounding severity in case of penetration by a rifle round as much as 7075 or fibreglass does. 1/4” of 5083 provides NIJ IIA level of protection and won’t stop 357 Magnum. Also, fibreglass is not visible in xray, which makes it really hard for doctors to find and pull out its fragments from a wound.

[@lghou682]

The key issue is about the damage tolerance but not only depends on the strength. The high speed collision cause high-rate deformation that will induce instant heating of the surface materials and this will soften the alloy. Try the advanced armor aluminum alloy such as 2618 (some old), 5059, 7085, which could give better penetration resistance.

[@azeke8]

@@lghou682 Good luck finding sheets / plates of made of these aluminum alloys. Plus if you do find someone who sells them these are going to be high thickness and sized about 5’x14’, making them really heavy and expensive.

[@Alexg4691]

I’ve been wondering if you have thought about layering some Kevlar or ballistic nylon into layers of HDPE. Example would be 1/4” of HDPE then couple sheets of Kevlar, then another 1/4” HDPE and you’d repeat this until you get a thickness you like. You can, also add in small ceramic plates to the HDPE and they’ll hold in place, then cover them again with another HDPE layer. Just some ideas as I’ve been working on my own project and throwing around some thoughts.

[@Techthisoutmeow]

Ah man, your really, really going like my next HDPE video! It's about using hdpe as a laminate, and man, it's good.

[@hansjohannsen6722]

This is where I was at when I saw your "wrap". Sound plan. I'm planning on trying this with a polyurethane resin myself in place of HDPE.

[@kingmasterlord]

what about mixing graphite into the HDPE?

[@adamhoffman6923]

I’ve been studying metallurgy for a while and always found it hard to explain composition and tempers but this guy did great

[@RavemastaJ]

I would put ceramic, HDPE, then the aluminum plate; OR I would do the aluminum plate, HDPE, then another aluminum plate. Extra distance = more bullet fragmentation and deviation. HDPE can help achieve this with its low weight. Wrapped in fiberglass, like you've done before, I expect such a block to prevent the back plate from shattering from a .308.

[@pratyushbagaria6537]

Ceramics in the front to brake up the bullet as much as possible and hdpe or nylon to absorb left over kinetic energy and alu at the end for minimum back face deformation

[@nemesisobsidian]

Had the exact same thoughts for a possible material combination for bullet resistant composite armor. It's nice to know other people are thinking in this way. I'm always coming up with composite armor ideas designed to stop bullets as of yet unproven theories to be sure mostly due to my lack of access to weapons so I could actually test the plates I make to determine their capabilities. But I feel like I'm a man on a mission having no choice but to get with the modern times and get ahead of the game in light of the perilous dangers we are all facing during these extraordinarily troubling times. I really need to draw these ideas onto paper or store them as a hard copy so I don't forget. If I made a plate like what's being described here the only thing I would change is to do a double ceramic strike face instead of a single ceramic strike face then a 1/4 inch sheet of polycarbonate then a 1/4 inch sheet of either 7034 or 7068 Aluminum Alloy and use a 10 oz tube of Loc-Tite PL Max construction glue as the adhesive for the plate. A homemade armor plate like that should be able to take down most of the common rifle rounds you might face in a gunfight and a double strike face should guarantee survivability of the plate in anticipation of a possible pass through from a big bullet like a .30-06 Springfield or a .300 Winchester Magnum.

[@evansaw293]

Ive become a legit expert on DIY armor and I still come back to these vids

[@DMNSMN]

Next time, try the 3/8". Most metal rifle plates for level III threats are 3/8".

[@Techthisoutmeow]

I plan on it! Now that I've seen what this stuff is capable of I'll definitely be trying out different thicknesses and hardnesses.

[@-Turtl3_]

Congratulations on the 10K subs! (also nice video btw. :D)

[@Techthisoutmeow]

Thanks Mr turtle! Your plate did great, I'll show more footage of yours being tested in the next 7075 as well!

[@Techthisoutmeow]

I want to try it with UHMWPE now...

[@-Turtl3_]

@@Techthisoutmeow Nice, looking forward to that!

[@unknownarchon8860]

Love to watch your chanel from Serbia👍 stay safe bro

[@Techthisoutmeow]

You as well brother! Thanks for watching

[@TOMAS-lh4er]

THIS WAS FUN !!! I love following you !

[@Techthisoutmeow]

Thanks man, more to come soon!

[@TOMAS-lh4er]

@@Techthisoutmeow I'm a poor guy armor builder ! This is a great resource ,

[@guytech7310]

@@Techthisoutmeow CRS firearms YT channel is testing various plate designs (viewer challenge). Worth your time to watch if you haven't done so.

[@Techthisoutmeow]

@@guytech7310 lol the guy leading in the competition is a mod on my discord! I helped him with his plate.

[@guytech7310]

@@Techthisoutmeow OK. I though I would mention it in case you didn't see it. Thanks for your work on this project. I like that you show the construction methods used. FWIW: I do look into different designs. Thinking of getting a small kiln to create custom porcelain with silicon carbide & making them thin (1/8") so they can be laminated together & keep light. I think smaller tiles would also resist spreading fracturing like the big, single tiles do.

[@gamecubekingdevon3]

glad to have been helpfull for the video :D for new designs, here are few ideas: -for spalling, you might want to wrap the alluminium alloy in some polyester fabric (5 to 10 layers should help reduce the spalling) -for a more ductile alluminium alloy, look into the 2017A in it's AUG4, T4 , T451 treatments. compared to 7075T6 it's softer, more ductile (but of course the strengh as a standalone material is not as important) -could be interessing to use 7075T6 in conjuction with UHMWPE and some harder metals (any steel with a hardness of 200 brinnels or more). -could also be interessing to make brute test with 7075 T6 as a standalone material to know each thickness is required approximately for each caliber (for exemple, see if a solid pack of 20 or 25mm would be good. as it would be around 5KG (approx 10 to 12 pounds) for a 25x30cm (10"x12") plate square cut )

[@Techthisoutmeow]

Thanks for explaining 7075 for everyone! I added your KZbin channel info in the description 😉

[@Techthisoutmeow]

And I know we'll be talking about this material again real soon

[@gamecubekingdevon3]

@@Techthisoutmeow can't wait to see some ceramic-7075T6-2017AT4-UHMWPE designs

[@zachbrowning1325]

dude your at 10k... hell yeah homie. Congrats man.

[@Techthisoutmeow]

Thanks Zach! It's taken some time, bit finally here. Now just got to get to 100000.

[@mjl167]

I was thinking about layering Kevlar between the striking plates and bonding them with cyanoacrylate bicarbonate. Just a theory

[@thomasgellos1732]

I am impressed with the quality of content on this channel

[@Techthisoutmeow]

Thanks brother, I'll have some new videos up here really soon, so check back!.

[@danielbostwick5601]

Very clever to try aluminum!!! Your very close to that perfect body armour!!

[@ThirtytwoJ]

The aluminum does shine for stab and slash resistance. Id be curious what thick stacks of thinner sheet, rope core layers, and plastic composite would do.

[@personanongrata2045]

I’ve been wondering how well a 1/4” layer of marine epoxy putty over a 1/4” aluminum plate would be. Stuff’s rock hard. Even a several slimmer layers sandwich type thing with a few 1/8” plates and two layers of epoxy putty in between. I envy you having a backyard you can mess around in like that

[@WeaponizedSmirk]

Smirk Squad represent!

[@Techthisoutmeow]

My man! Some of my favorite t shirts are from that guy!

[@motoflyte]

This is why youtube is so cool....because we can go find Exactly what we're looking for. Thanks for doing this test !!

[@victoriazero8869]

Have you tried making densified 'bulletproof' wood? they're almost as good as steel but weight one sixth. the process was apparently not too hard at least on small scale.

[@hassantalpur6792]

Hey dude I love your videos. A while ago you were talking about being able to make HDPE a bit thinner and capable to stop higher rounds, what happened about that?

[@Techthisoutmeow]

Well, I had two kids, and lost my job lol. Everything is good now, just don't have a lot of time on my hands sadly. But yeah, a big part of the 10,000 subscription special is HDPE!

[@Techthisoutmeow]

And both annealing and laminated hdpe blew my mind, I wanted to test it more before finishing those project videos. But they are on the way!

[@hassantalpur6792]

@@Techthisoutmeow Really happy to hear that. I hope the channel isn't causing you any stress. God bless you and your family

[@ClaymoreClay101]

Very cool video! This stuff is super interesting. I wonder how the aluminum plates with the ceramic strike face would fair if the ceramic was epoxied to the aluminum using a high strength epoxy resin.

[@telesniper2]

Try 3/4" and 5/8" solid 7075 plate. Edwin Sarkissian shot a 1" plate and it blocked everything except for .50BMG, with room to spare.

[@jacksin3323]

Dude, i need to join the discord. I have a buncha barrier testing and ammo testing experience. I dont even know where to begin. Ive made armored vehicles and done tons of ammo testing against barrier and combo of barriers.

[@Techthisoutmeow]

discord.gg/9rugntCTaQ here you go brother! Come on over, would love to see you there, I also posted the link on your other comment.

[@philipfreeman72]

Be careful shooting aluminum , at Fairbanks AK I saw a aluminum channel stuck in the ground . I shot it with 45 fmj the slug came back but missed me .

[@jlasud]

Broken carbide inserts from lathe tools for ex. cast in soft aluminium . That could be real interesting. Not sure how much the molten alu would get the temper out of the carbide though. I'm pretty sure carbide pieces would shread a bullet real fast. Maybe carbide pieces cast in epoxy,and aluminium backing.

[@luciusirving5926]

Aluminum alloy and micarta would make a better brigadine than wrought iron (bad choice against crossbows and spears). I love how 7075 can regain its original shape after distortion. Like a slow spring.

[@cinnabar8610]

I would love to see a test with magnesium, though it might be prohibitively expensive. Anyways good work on the video.

[@Techthisoutmeow]

Thanks man, any magnesium alloy you want to see?

[@cinnabar8610]

@@Techthisoutmeow Hmmm... let me think on that.

[@Techthisoutmeow]

@@cinnabar8610 For sure! You know where to reach me lol.

[@武装韭菜]

Which titanium alloy has the best bulletproof effect?

[@Techthisoutmeow]

I don't know that answer off hand, but I'll ask some of my guys what they think. I'm more on the composite and plastic side of armor, but I'm leaning alot about metals more recently.

[@Fudmottin]

I wonder how the plates would perform if they were laminated with aramid or glass fiber. Or at least properly laminated to their backer.

[@Techthisoutmeow]

Much better for sure, simple duct tape doesn't stand up well against the .308 but even a few simple rappings of fiberglass or an aramid would work wonders.

[@hansjohannsen6722]

I saw you working on porcelain strike faces!! I discovered 3mm Zircon ceramic "tumbling medium" 2 layers with uhmwpe cloth in elastomeric resin followed with more fabric ( HDPE pressed with fabric) backer, shocktec back..

[@yutecforz4416]

What about 7068? It is the strongest of the aluminum alloys with good toughness as well.

[@quinby3852]

Congrats on 10k

[@Techthisoutmeow]

Thanks man, already 700 over it, and it's only been a few months! Feels like it's finally taking off

[@quinby3852]

@@Techthisoutmeow nice!

[@goliath124]

Love the channel. Maybe consider 3m 5200 between the plates for the spalling. Just a thought.

[@sugonmadyik6222]

The 7075 is only can hold bullet that travel sub sonic only, but the pros is very light.

[@abram730]

Melt aluminum into the back of ceramics. You will be surprised. You want it to bend rather than break though.

[@micio_meow]

I believe you used a sheet of steel in an old video to stop shrapnels from exiting from the sides. Can you test those aluminum plates again with a porcelain tile striker face, aluminum and kevlar/some high tensile strength fabric? Thanks for the attention, any reply or advice is welcome

[@94s75]

Love this man thank you

[@milekhh]

Try T351 2024 or 2017A. They are literally 7075 but like 2-3 times more ductile. Also, similiar price.

[@VS-ff4ez]

Can you laminate a couple of pieces of lexan onto the surface of the aluminum plate? Also maybe use Kevlar sheets and fiberglass resin as a spall liner on the rear.

[@billycrystal5955]

7:16 was the moment i decided to subscribe

[@mikrotech3103]

Did You Tried Aluminium 6082 that's also used In Making Aircrafts nd Engines

[@SyntaxError0287]

Will you test this aluminum armor with incendiary rounds? how safe would it be if the armor stars burning, will it still hold up?, will the toxic fumes be dangerous if inhaled?

[@johndoss1399]

Can you make something to stop 50 bmg😅 I would like to see that but I do really like watching your videos good stuff

[@Technoanima]

agree, so someone wearing say 7075 armor as the final stop, needs to have a Newtonian medium to significantly decelerate the rounds.

[@lindboknifeandtool]

It would be expensive but titanium would be interesting

[@karolstruck9822]

INFO do you know that tank armor is sandwiched with glass. Don't know why but it must work the help stop a high-speed projectile round. The only thing I can think of is that it helps Shred but incoming round or add grittiness to where the steel can grab it and slow it down. Also bullet proof doors are filled with ball bearings. Easy enough to explain as the bullet enters in its energy has deflected sideways where another one can grab his energy Exedra Exedra until it eventually stops. The same stuff can be used inside of the vehicle. The military also has played around with drilling holes inside of multiple plates to do the same effect. The holes are drilled on an angle so as the bullet hits the boy is deflected sideways. The result is that thinner material is able to stop a bigger faster bullet by making it travel sideways through the steel. I would not hesitate to try to do a level of sand inside of a sandwich for the fact of slowing and capturing some energy and adding Grit. I work for defense contractors that have a background in research and development. So I'm not just some dumb ass off the street

[@tresavage1887]

ceramic tiles Taped to the Protect o panels. That way you can fold up the door protection When you don't need it and pull it out when you do. As for the windows you might have to make a bulletproof glass that is molded To the size of the car door window, then create a mount system To the roof of the car That can swing down when you need it and hold place please when you're driving. There was a police shield That did something just like that Minus The door and roof mount in shot show 2016 or 2017 I forget. Now finally the car engine welding A bulletproof Shield that's been cut to size it's the best I can offer that or gluing 14 layers of kevlar in places is the best I can think of

[@molonlabe5090]

Prior to watching whole video idea for layers, facing exterior of a door panel to facing interior 1/8th in 7075 aluminum 1 to 2.5 inches of HDPE, 1/4 in 7075 Aluminun Edit, post-viewing Ceramic strike plate, HDPE, 1/4in 7075

[@bagelbandit6076]

I’d be curious if arching the plate to be more form fitting would ffect/deflect the round.

[@brandonholsather2171]

I only consider 357 magnum and up big calibers. The 10 mm is tied with 357 in there. A 9 mm 45 acp and 40 cal medium sized load. I still say those are powerful but not cannons.

[@lethalethixstudios2592]

Great channel

[@guillermoiturriaga7863]

Hi, ! How millimeters is this alum plate 7075 ?? Let me know please 🙏🙏

[@Techthisoutmeow]

.25in is 6.35mm. So, if you could get the 7075 at 6.5 mm or 7mm, then that would work. Hope that helps.

[@guillermoiturriaga7863]

@@Techthisoutmeow thanks for your prompt response. Let me know if it is possible to get ALUMINUM 7068 in America, and where they sell plates. They say it is the hardest aluminum that exists, almost like steel but very light. thank you.

[@BoredAmerican]

HES BACK

[@Techthisoutmeow]

Back and getting ready to drop some sick new projects

[@jhartmac100]

So my current set up is.......1" polycarbonite and I was thinking to use either T6 aluminum 1/4" and face that with Fiberglass + resin + 12x12" ceramic plates.....

[@angelo_giachetti]

.357 mag factory loads arnt really magnum loads. 357 mag were meant to achieve 1600fps with a 158gr SJHP bullet that might defeat your plate. 1600fps 158gr will slice thrue .250 miled steel. You probably dont have .357 FMJ. You might have semi jacketed, truncated cone or plated bullets.

[@matthewfergusons4318]

The plates into angle between like ceramic or put arrogance or small wax are epoxy in that do you might have a bullet trap they could deflect pistol and rifle compact aluminum foil I took a large ball a w to make compressed in a hydraulic press it before it into a sheet starting with mm 9 metal jacket at it in the accelerated part just

[@dailydrivencarsddc1182]

When you have a finish product will you sell it?

[@sarchlalaith8836]

Is... Is that the you make it we shoot it music?

[@Techthisoutmeow]

Lol so funny story. When I started this channel about 5 or so years ago I downloaded some free use music from the creator hub, and this one stuck out the most. Then when I sent in plates to taofledermaus last year we had a laugh about that fact lol. Yeah I wasn't trying to copy him when I downloaded it, and lately I've been thinking about doing a new introduction, but it's hard to let this one go.

[@sarchlalaith8836]

@@Techthisoutmeow keep it for the fun factor

[@Jkauppa]

well, if you use tank nose wedge then yes, as deflector plate, not as a strike absorption face

[@Jkauppa]

ufo is the best shape, with a top cone

[@Jkauppa]

yep ufo has the top bottom wedge explosion deflection shape

[@Jkauppa]

spiky ufo disc

[@jaredharvey1511]

Try a Whipple shield configuration. Thin metal spaced with air gap to the protected item, will break up the projectile. See this video for more information. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aHfVc3irdrJ7sNk

[@johndoss1399]

Try m855a1 ammo it's a little better than the m855

[@billytheearthworm573]

Interesting 👍

[@Techthisoutmeow]

Thank you

[@kzariuscook1275]

cant you use that armour on the side of a car door just in case of a dangerous road rage. but then again you would need window protection.

[@johntheux9238]

7068 is even stronger.

[@jctu186]

What about using metals to protect ceramic tiles from damage of smaller arms fire and maybe as a backer for the ceramic too for a rigid surface that wont deform much into your chest. Some layers of resin laminated kevlar in between the spaces to slow and catch fragments followed by strong flexible polyurethane spacing to allow for some flexing and maybe my crazy idea for multi hit rated armor works

[@treOODA]

Polycarbonate has a grain structure and should be laminated at 90° for max resistance per given thickness. Typically they will laminate a glass sheet near the middle for spalling to defend against penetration.

[@lukecarter4291]

I wonder if tungsten could be used in body armor.

[@hinstoncarachi1373]

You going to need 1”1/2

[@moistcyanide5109]

Lol your so unexclusive bro... like i cant believe

[@Techthisoutmeow]

Bruh I can't even, trudo.

[@jaxsullivan2117]

Yes and I'm 69th like

[@sbass32]

Dude you need a better backstop,someday your rounds are gonna stray.

[@bigchest3949]

like turn ur accent off lol

[@LupusMechanicus]

No

[@robertthomas3777]

Mark them in pen with the caliber. Interesting. Ta.🇦🇺🦘👍

[@sbass32]

Dude you need a better backstop,someday your rounds are gonna stray.