Evaluation of low-velocity impact responses of flexible protective materials with a novel, visible approach

Abstract

Due to occurrences of human injury induced by external low-velocity impact (LVI), the development of flexible protective materials (FPM) with superior properties is critical. However, the damage appearance of FPM under LVI is unintuitive, which brings extra challenges in evaluating their protective effects. Herein, a novel damage evaluation approach was designed by using homogeneous glass slides and wood boards, and responses of six protective fabric materials subjected to LVI were evaluated. According to visible damage morphologies and related quantitative values of the glass slides and wood boards on the back of specimens after LVI, it was clearly revealed that the protective effects of specimens with various types or parameters were different under the same condition of LVI. In addition, visible damage effects at varied impact velocities in this approach could distinguish the protective mechanisms of various specimens. Compared with the results of impact parameters outputted by universal impact testing machine, this approach was verified to be feasible and effective. Consequently, this paper was establishing a simple and visible approach for the purpose of promoting the research and development of flexible protective equipment for the human body to some extent.