In special vehicle construction, materials with special properties are required to ensure occupant protection in military vehicles or specially secured cars with vehicle armor. The materials are usually particularly strong (armored steel) or offer an outstanding compromise between weight and protective performance (aramid fibers, ceramic materials).
In special vehicles, the materials are used to reinforce the outer shell of the vehicle. For example, doors and the other panels on the vehicle flank are made from these high-quality materials, for example with doors made from armored steel and additional ballistic protection from ceramic plates and bulletproof glass. As special vehicle construction makes sensible use of these materials but cannot outwit physics, the higher weight of these components must be compensated for. To do this, special springs and dampers are used for the chassis technology or reinforced and fail-safe wheels are fitted. Powerful combustion engines are also used to provide the necessary power to move the additional weight.
In the case of military vehicles, these requirements are included in the planning right from the start, and protection solutions for integration into existing vehicle concepts are also improving for civilian vehicles. Depending on requirements and protection performance, vehicles are available in protection classes VR1 to VR10.
