“All sorts of things
can happen when
you’re open to new
ideas and playing
around with things.”
— Stephanie Kwolek, inventor of DuPont Kevlar®
One day in 1965, DuPont chemist Stephanie Kwolek was
working in the DuPont Textile Laboratory, continuing her
research into using polymers to develop fibers that would
be lightweight, but also offer heat resistance. She tried
dissolving a polymer she’d been working with and the
results were unusual. As Ms. Kwolek later said:
“Ordinarily a polymer solution sort of reminds you of
molasses, although it may not be as thick. And it’s
generally transparent. This polymer solution poured
almost like water, and it was cloudy. I thought, ‘There’s
something very different about this. This may be very
useful.’ ”
It turned out to be very useful, indeed.
PROPERTIES TO MAKE YOUR
HEAD SPIN
DEMAND FOR THE MIRACLE
FIBER KEEPS GROWING
Stephanie Kwolek and her colleagues began spinning this unusual polymer.
Their efforts yielded a fiber that, for all its strength and stiffness, was remarkably
lightweight. And that was only the beginning.
With new applications continually being found for DuPont Kevlar®,
DuPont has built a $500 million plant to expand production
capabilities near Charleston, SC, while also expanding production at
facilities in Richmond, VA and in Maydown, Northern Ireland.
The fiber was, pound for pound, five times stronger than steel. And it also
proved to be both chemical and flame resistant. Clearly, this was a product with
enormous potential, but it would take a lot more work by DuPont scientists to
make it commercially viable.
That day finally came in 1971. The new substance, whose chemical name is
poly-para-phenylene terephthalamide, was trademarked as DuPont Kevlar®. By
2011 that brand name had become as recognizable as many leading consumer
brands.
MORE THAN 3,000 LIVES SAVED
SO FAR
Kevlar® is best known as the material that provides a first line of defense for
law enforcement and military personnel through its use in bullet-resistant vests,
helmets and in vehicle armor. In fact, the level of protection Kevlar® and other
body armor offers is so extraordinary that the materials are credited with saving
the lives of more than 3000 law enforcement officers and first responders.
But the applications for Kevlar go far beyond personal protection—with more
coming every day.
®
FROM BRIDGE CABLES TO BIKE
HELMETS, IT CAN BE FOUND
IN: CARS, TIRES, HOSES, AND
BRAKE PADS...
Today, the strength and durability, flame and chemical resistance of Kevlar® has
made it indispensable in a host of consumer and industrial products. It can be
found in: car tires and brake pads; mooring, suspension bridge and fiber optic
cables; adhesives, sealants and coatings; racing sails; and the shells of water-,
air- and spacecraft. Kevlar® is even found in sporting equipment, including skis and
hiking and camping gear.
To see just how far Kevlar® has come (and that includes going to
Mars) you are invited to review the timeline below.
1960
1980
1970
1990
2000-Present
1965
1970
1975
1978
1982
1985
1991
2004
DuPont chemist Stephanie
Kwolek discovers a new
polymer that can be spun
into a stiff, strong fiber.
DuPont researcher
Herb Blades develops
a revolutionary air gap
spinning process enabling
large-scale production of
Kevlar® fibers.
The August edition of
Popular Science magazine
features Kevlar® in a story
entitled New Materials
Promise Safer Tires.
The U.S. Army adopts
Kevlar® for use in flak
jackets and helmets.
Annual production of
Kevlar® marks a fourfold
increase since 1971.
1979
1983
During Operation Desert
Storm the majority of U.S.
combat soldiers wear
helmets made of Kevlar®.
1975
The Gossamer Albatross,
constructed using Kevlar®,
becomes the first humanpowered aircraft to cross
the English Channel.
German automaker Opel
makes its brake linings
asbestos-free, with Kevlar®
the key component in the
transition.
The premier French
boat builder Jeanneau
begins using Kevlar® in
the construction of its
catamarans, powerboats
and sailboats. The company
refers to the use of Kevlar®
as putting it “on the pulse
of technology.”
Joseph Enterprises
introduces The Ove Glove™,
the 5-fingered kitchen
glove made of Kevlar® (and
DuPont™ Nomex®) that
improves dexterity and
withstands temperatures of
up to 540°.
1979
1984
First conveyor belt
reinforced with Kevlar®
becomes operational at the
Dauphine Mines in France.
Pratt & Whitney’s PW4000
engine for wide body jets
incorporates a fan shroud
of Kevlar® to contain fan
parts in the event of engine
failure.
1971
Firestone markets the
first car tire with Kevlar®,
the V-1. Canoes and
kayaks strengthened with
Kevlar® compete in world
championship races.
On December 23, Seattle
Police Department Officer
Raymond Johnson is the
first officer whose life is
saved by a vest made of
Kevlar®. According to the
IACP/DuPont™ Kevlar®
Survivors Club, at least
3,100 officers have been
saved by body armor since
then.
1974
1975
A New York Times article
carries the headline: Kevlar
Enters Spotlight as New
Miracle Fiber.
The French tire company
Kleber introduces the
first tire with Kevlar® for
European passenger cars.
Kevlar® is mass-produced in
large quantities.
1973
1975
Police officers conduct first
field trial of body armor
with Kevlar® under the
sponsorship of the National
Institute of Justice.
2004
1986
Kevlar® fabric is used in
construction of the roof
of the Olympic Stadium in
Montreal.
1988
Kevlar® fiber first spun
in Europe at the new
Maydown, Northern Ireland
plant.
1995
Kevlar® Correctional is
introduced. It’s the first soft
woven fabric designed to
protect correctional officers
from stab wounds.
NASA’s Mars Rovers—Spirit
and Opportunity—make
a soft landing on the red
planet by deploying airbags
threaded and reinforced
with Kevlar®.
2006
Atlanta Police Officer Cory
B. Grogan becomes the
3000th inductee into the
IACP/DuPont™ Kevlar®
Survivors Club. More than
100 officers have been
saved by protective gear
since then.
2007
DuPont announces
commitment of $500
million to expand Kevlar®
production at its facility near
Charleston, SC.
October 6, 2011
Ribbon cutting ceremony
held to mark completion of
expansion near Charleston, SC.