According to statistics, in the Iraq War and the Afghanistan War, hundreds of American soldiers escaped death thanks to Kevlar bulletproof equipment.
In 1964, Stephanie Kwolek accidentally synthesized a thin, milky solution while researching a tire material. After further refinement, this solution was made into a fiber that was five times stronger than steel. DuPont named it Kevlar fiber. In an interview before her death, Kwolek recalled that she had discovered a new solvent at the time, which could dissolve high-molecular-weight polymers into a lighter and thinner solution. She then persuaded a skeptical colleague to help her put this solution into a spinneret, creating Kevlar fiber. "This fiber is very tough, with tensile strength many times greater than any fiber before."
Kwolek's former colleague, Herbert Blades, recalled that because the fiber was so strong, DuPont Laboratories had specially developed new equipment to test various data such as the tensile limit of Kevlar fiber. "DuPont was mainly focused on nylon and polyester at the time, but the equipment for testing nylon materials was simply no match for Kevlar fiber."
After realizing the value of Kevlar fiber, scientists applied it to ballistic technology and achieved the expected bulletproof effect. Bulletproof vests made of Kevlar fiber can resist bullets from 9mm caliber firearms (although it is still possible for the impact force of the bullet to break several ribs). According to statistics from the American National Association of Attorneys General, since the start of mass production in the 1970s, Kevlar bulletproof equipment has saved the lives of at least 3,000 law enforcement officers. DuPont and the International Association of Chiefs of Police also established a "Survivors Club" for these lucky heroes, greatly increasing the global demand for Kevlar bulletproof equipment by law enforcement agencies. Furthermore, on the battlefield, Kevlar bulletproof vests and helmets are indispensable for every soldier. According to statistics, in the Iraq War and the Afghanistan War, hundreds of American soldiers escaped death thanks to Kevlar bulletproof equipment.