Kevlar is the DuPont trade name for a synthetic para-aramid polymer spun into fibers with exceptional tensile strength relative to weight and high resistance to heat and abrasion. Invented at DuPont in 1965 by the chemist Stephanie Kwolek, it became the basis for soft body armor, replacing steel in some ballistic vests, and is also used in cut-resistant gloves, tires, ropes and aerospace composites.
Facts
Primary UseBullet-resistant and stab-resistant body armor, cut-resistant gloves, reinforced tires and hoses, ropes and cables, and lightweight aerospace and marine composites. 1 Origin YearStephanie Kwolek invented Kevlar at DuPont in 1965 while researching high-performance polymer fibers. Classification
Material Class Connections
Associated With
Kevlar is a brand of aramid fiber
Carbon Fiber, Materials Both are high-performance synthetic reinforcing fibers developed in the mid-twentieth century.
In Field
Invented By
Source Stephanie Kwolek (Britannica)
Sources
1. A History of Technology
Charles Singer, E. J. Holmyard, A. R. Hall and Trevor I. Williams, editors, Oxford University Press, 1954material-class sentenceQuote, material-class sentence
Kevlar is the DuPont trade name for a synthetic para-aramid polymer spun into fibers with exceptional tensile strength relative to weight and high resistance to heat and abrasion.
Kevlar (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationLead sectionQuote, Lead section
Kevlar (para-aramid) is a strong, heat-resistant synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora.
Kevlar (Wikipedia)
WikipediaWikipedia: Kevlar, lead section, first paragraphQuote, Wikipedia: Kevlar, lead section, first paragraph
Kevlar (para-aramid) is a strong, heat-resistant synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora.
Stephanie Kwolek (Britannica)
Invented By: Stephanie Kwolek
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kevlar the same thing as an aramid fiber?
Kevlar is DuPont own brand name for one specific para-aramid polymer; aramid fiber is the whole family of similar synthetic fibers.
No, not exactly. Aramid fiber is the general class: aromatic polyamide synthetic fibers built from amide linkages joined to aromatic rings, a class that includes DuPont own meta-aramid Nomex, introduced around 1960, and the Dutch firm Akzo para-aramid Twaron, introduced in 1978. Kevlar is DuPont own trade name for one specific member of that class, a para-aramid polymer the chemist Stephanie Kwolek invented at DuPont in 1965 and which DuPont brought to market in 1973. Every Kevlar fiber is an aramid fiber, but not every aramid fiber is Kevlar.
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