Design of knitted three-dimensional seamless female body armour vests

Abstract

Seams and stitching in a body armour could affect their protective and comfort performance. The seamless technology is a method used to eliminate cutting and sewing processes in making knitted garments. This method is adopted to avoid the traditional cut and sew method used to accommodate the bust contour for female body armour design. The 3D knitting technology Shima Seiki SES-S.WG® and its whole garment WG-SDS-ONE APEX3 program were used to develop a seamless female body armour for fit and comfort. The Kevlar–wool and 100% Kevlar fabrics were produced as weft-knit single jersey using the whole garment knitting machine. The physical properties of the fabrics produced were measured. These properties were used to design two different styles of 3D seamless female body armour vests, the loose-vest and bra-vest. The knitted fabrics and the 3D seamless female body armour vests were engineered to confirm the design.