Numerical and experimental investigation of the ballistic performance of hybrid woven and embroidered-based soft armour under ballistic impact

Abstract

One approach to developing more effective soft body armour is to modify the structure of the ballistic packages. Typically, soft ballistic packages are formed as a multilayer system composed of woven fabrics or flexible unidirectional sheets, also in hybrid combinations. It should be noted that relatively little is known about ballistic packages composed of embroidered structures. This article presents the results of numerical and experimental studies of the ballistic efficiency of packages composed of para-aramid embroidered structures and woven fabrics fixed at all four edges after firing with a 9x19 mm FMJ Parabellum projectile at an impact velocity of 380 m/s. Numerical modelling was used both to assess the ballistic efficiency of the packages in various hybrid constructions and to optimize the structure of the most efficient hybrid construction of the package. Based on the results of numerical and experimental studies, it was shown that hybrid packages containing fabrics on the impact side of the projectile and structures embroidered on the back are significantly more efficient than the reverse combination. The optimization carried out showed that the most efficient package should contain a number of woven layers equal to twice the number of penetrated layers on the projectile impact side.