Doron Plate
Encyclopedia
Doron Plate is a strong fiberglass
-based laminate
that was first used by the United States
military as personal body armor for infantry
in the Battle of Okinawa
in 1945. The plates were approximately 1/8 inch thick and cut into five inch squares then inserted into pockets on a nylon
vest that covered the front and back portions of the torso as well as the shoulders. The vest weighed approximately 8 pounds. The plates consist of fiberglass filaments bonded together with resin under pressure. The plates could be molded to fit the contours of the chest or back. Dow Company
discovered the technology for the doron plate in May 1943 because a shortage of metal during World War II
had stimulated research into non-metallic forms of body armor. The doron plate could not stop direct fire from bullets but was effective at stopping relatively slow moving flak and shrapnel. The plates were named after General G.F. Doriot
who was chief of the Research and Development Branch, Office of The Quartermaster General of the Army during World War II. The doron plates were used in the Korean War
in the M-1951 and T-52-2 vests and the Vietnam War
in the M-1952 and M-1955 vests. Stronger and lighter materials such as Kevlar
-based body armor eventually superseded the doron plate.
Fiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
-based laminate
Laminate
A laminate is a material that can be constructed by uniting two or more layers of material together. The process of creating a laminate is lamination, which in common parlance refers to the placing of something between layers of plastic and gluing them with heat and/or pressure, usually with an...
that was first used by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
military as personal body armor for infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
in the Battle of Okinawa
Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War of World War II. The 82-day-long battle lasted from early April until mid-June 1945...
in 1945. The plates were approximately 1/8 inch thick and cut into five inch squares then inserted into pockets on a nylon
Nylon
Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers known generically as polyamides, first produced on February 28, 1935, by Wallace Carothers at DuPont's research facility at the DuPont Experimental Station...
vest that covered the front and back portions of the torso as well as the shoulders. The vest weighed approximately 8 pounds. The plates consist of fiberglass filaments bonded together with resin under pressure. The plates could be molded to fit the contours of the chest or back. Dow Company
Dow Chemical Company
The Dow Chemical Company is a multinational corporation headquartered in Midland, Michigan, United States. As of 2007, it is the second largest chemical manufacturer in the world by revenue and as of February 2009, the third-largest chemical company in the world by market capitalization .Dow...
discovered the technology for the doron plate in May 1943 because a shortage of metal during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
had stimulated research into non-metallic forms of body armor. The doron plate could not stop direct fire from bullets but was effective at stopping relatively slow moving flak and shrapnel. The plates were named after General G.F. Doriot
Georges Doriot
Georges F. Doriot was one of the first American venture capitalists. In 1946, he founded American Research and Development Corporation, the first publicly owned venture capital firm...
who was chief of the Research and Development Branch, Office of The Quartermaster General of the Army during World War II. The doron plates were used in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
in the M-1951 and T-52-2 vests and the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
in the M-1952 and M-1955 vests. Stronger and lighter materials such as Kevlar
Kevlar
Kevlar is the registered trademark for a para-aramid synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora. Developed at DuPont in 1965, this high strength material was first commercially used in the early 1970s as a replacement for steel in racing tires...
-based body armor eventually superseded the doron plate.