Military Body Armour Research Articles

Effect of quilting pitch and sewing thread type on the fragment protective performance of para-aramid fabrics used in military body armour

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is crucial for military personnel who find themselves in hostile situations facing a prolific and focused enemy. PPE is designed to protect the wearer from injury and/or fatality, i.e. the use of PPE increases the likelihood of survivability. Military body armour, which protects the critical organs of the torso, contains multiple layers of para-aramid or ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fabrics. These layers of fabric are often quilted for ease of handling during the construction of the armour and to prevent the slumping of the armour layers in the carrier and protect the wearer from fragmentation which is the major cause of injury in modern warfare. Minimal work has been published on the effect of quilting on the protection offered by military body armour. In this work, the effects of quilting pitch (none; bias direction −10, 20 and 30 mm pitch), sewing thread type (cotton, polyester-cotton, para-aramid, bonded nylon) and the number of layers (one, three) of a Twaron® fabric on the fragment protective performance was investigated with reference to military body armour systems. Evidence of a strain rate effect was noted. Use of 100% cotton or bonded nylon thread for quilting typically resulted in a higher energy dissipated (ED ) compared to not-quilted specimens. The greatest improvements were noted with bonded nylon quilted specimens. At slower velocities, this improvement was 94% for one-layer specimens and 32% for three-layer specimens. At faster velocities, this improvement was 41% for one-layer specimens and 32% for three-layer specimens.

A Prelude to Insurrection: How a 4chan Refrain Anticipated the Capitol Riot

This paper looks at how vernacular practices associated with fringe web communities seem to have found their way into reactionary American politics in recent years. Combining concepts from political communication (Bennett and Segerberg 2013) and from assemblage theory (Samson 2020), the paper looks at how key elements of the Capitol insurrection narrative initially emerged on 4chan as meme about a second civil war (called “the Boogaloo”), then spreading to social media and amplified by President Trump. In an effort to make sense of this relationship between the fringe the mainstream, the paper offers both original empirical analysis as well as conceptual innovation. Keywords: Internet memes, post-digital far-right, assemblage theory, connective action, entryism, memetic antagonism, obfuscation, bottom-up agenda setting In the Trump era a new kind of post-digital far-right activism emerged that spread from fringe regions of the web into corporate social media through the medium of memes. The most notable and widely reported of these was QAnon, the notorious deep state conspiracy theory that made its way into the core of Republican party politics under Trump (Levin 2021) and which seemed to take the form of a real-world game (Thompson 2020). Having started out in late 2017 from a series of anonymous posts the the notorious 4chan imageboard (Tuters 2020), over the course of the next few years QAnon developed into a “super conspiracy” (Barkun 2013) incorporating a wide variety of different communities ranging from Tea Party libertarians to New Age anti-vaxxers (Argentino 2020), as it spread from the fringe into the mainstream of public attention (Zeeuw et al. 2020). Part of what drew these different constituencies in and held them together was a sense of collaborative participation in the construction of a narrative—whose subcultural origins made it seem more authentic. Across various social media, the growth of QAnon went largely unchecked over the course of Trump’s presidency, and is widely considered to have been a significant contributing factor in galvanizing the motley crew of protestors that stormed the Capitol on January 6th 2021, leading social media platforms to subsequent ban much related content (Conger 2021). As reports of that day later noted, iconography and sloganeering from the fringes of the Internet were a ubiquitous sight on that day (Rosenberg & Tiefenthäler 2020). Beyond its shocking violence, a striking aspect of Capitol insurrection was its subcultural pageantry, most notably the infamous “QAnon shaman”. A bare chested man with a painted face carrying a spear with an American flag tied below the blade and wearing a fur hat with buffalo horns, this man was photographed standing on the raised platform on the site where the Vice President Mike Pence was supposed to ratify Biden as the new president—while other insurgents wandered through the halls of the Capitol building chanting “hang Mike Pence”, some wearing full military body armour. While the events of that day came as a surprise to many Americans, the narrative of a second civil war, had in fact been floated by Trump on Twitter over a year prior and it had been developing online since the spring of 2019 in posts to 4chan by online gun enthusiasts on 4chan whom referred to it coded ironic Internetspeak as the Boogaloo. As described below, 4chan’s vernacular conception for a second civil war in turn inspired an entire anti-state insurrectionist movement whom referred to themselves as “the Boogaloo Bois” and used vernacular “dissimulation” techniques, adapted from 4chan’s subculture (Zeeuw and Tuters 2020), both to create a “playful” movement identity as well as to avoid detection in the context of corporate social media efforts at “deplatforming” (Rogers 2021). As in the cases of QAnon and Pizzagate before it, 4chan provided the nascent movement with a ready-made format for political activism, in the form of an Internet meme. As these far-right memes served Trump’s agenda, in political communication terms we may consider them as instances of bottom-up agenda setting. Combining concepts from political communication (Bennett and Segerberg 2013) and from assemblage theory (Samson 2020), this paper analyzes the constitutive role of antagonism in the construction of precarious political movements that connects the fringe with the mainstream—as was so clearly on display on the day of the Capitol insurrection.

Identifying problems that female soldiers experience with current-issue body armour

Despite female soldiers representing a growing user population, military body armour systems are currently better suited to the anthropometric dimensions of male soldiers. The aim of this study was to explore issues that female soldiers experience with current Australian Defence Force (ADF)-issue body armour. Following a sequential exploratory design, an initial questionnaire was completed by 97 Australian female soldiers. Subsequently, 33 Australian female soldiers participated in one of three focus groups. Descriptive statistics of questionnaire data considered alongside thematic analysis of focus group transcripts revealed problems with the design (fit, form and function) of current ADF-issue body armour, as well as problems with the issuance and education surrounding use of the system. It is recommended that anthropometric data of female soldiers be better incorporated into future body armour designs, that these data inform processes surrounding both acquisition and issuance of body armour and that training protocols for body armour use be reviewed.

The immediate and prolonged effects of military body armor on the relative timing of thorax and pelvis rotations during toe-touch and two-legged squat tasks

Although military body armor is an effective life saver, it considerably loads more weight on the warfighters, increasing the risk of musculoskeletal injury. This study investigated the immediate and prolonged effects of wearing body armor on timing aspect of lumbo-pelvic coordination during the toe-touch (TT) and two-legged-squat (TLS) tests. A cross-over study design was used wherein twelve asymptomatic and gender-balanced individuals completed two experimental sessions with and without body armor. A session included two similar sets of tests, before and after exposure to a treadmill walk, containing a TT and a TLS test with ten cycles of fast bending and return. Reflective markers were attached on the participants to capture the kinematics of body segments in conjunction with a motion capture system. The mean absolute relative phase (MARP) and deviation phase (DP) between the thorax and pelvis were calculated for each test. The pre-walk MARP in the return was significantly larger with versus without body armor (p = 0.022), while there were no significant effects of body armor on the other outcome measures. In addition, the pre-walk MARP and DP in the bending and return, as well as the walk-induced changes in the MARP in the bending phase were significantly larger in TLS versus TT (p < 0.026). Therefore, using a body armor immediately made the lumbo-pelvic coordination less in-phase during return, but no prolonged effects were found. Further investigation is necessary to specify chances wearing a body armor increases the risk of musculoskeletal injuries in the lower back and lower extremities joints.

Are female soldiers satisfied with the fit and function of body armour?

Design and development of contemporary military body armour has traditionally focused primarily on male soldiers. As the anthropometric body dimensions of male and female soldiers differ, we aimed to determine whether current body armour was meeting fit and functional requirements of female soldiers. One-hundred and forty-seven female Australian Defence Force soldiers completed a 59-item questionnaire regarding the fit and function of current body armour. Most (68%) participants reported wearing ill-fitting body armour, which was associated with increased total musculoskeletal pain and discomfort, as well as pain at the shoulders, abdomen, and hips. Body armour that was too large was more likely to interfere with task performance when it was integrated with a combat belt, as well as when female soldiers performed operationally representative tasks. Modifying body armour design and sizing to cater to the anthropometric dimensions of female soldiers is recommended.

Geographies of U.S. Police Militarization and the Role of the 1033 Program

Concerns about police militarization have become an important public policy issue since the aggressive police response to the 2014 protests in Ferguson, Missouri, where police officers used military-style equipment to confront protestors. This event was a stark visual reminder that many U.S. police departments have used federal programs to acquire surplus military equipment, including weapons, armored vehicles, and body armor. We explore the geographies and histories of one the most important programs, called 1033, which supplies police with military equipment under the rationale of prosecuting the War on Drugs. We show that the legal blurring of the police and the military has been ongoing for decades at the national scale but this has resulted in an uneven landscape of police militarization at the county scale. We also investigate one of the most common global arguments for why police become militarized, which is the presence of Special Weapons and Tactics-style paramilitary teams, finding little support for that claim. More geographic inquiry is needed to understand the trajectories, causes, and consequences of police militarization.

Determining the dimensions of essential medical coverage required by military body armour plates utilising Computed Tomography

IntroductionMilitary body armour is designed to prevent the penetration of ballistic projectiles into the most vulnerable structures within the thorax and abdomen. Currently the OSPREY and VIRTUS body armour systems issued to United Kingdom (UK) Armed Forces personnel are provided with a single size front and rear ceramic plate regardless of the individual’s body dimensions. Currently limited information exists to determine whether these plates overprotect some members of the military population, and no method exists to accurately size plates to an individual. MethodComputed Tomography (CT) scans of 120 male Caucasian UK Armed Forces personnel were analysed to measure the dimensions of internal thoraco-abdominal anatomical structures that had been defined as requiring essential medical coverage. The boundaries of these structures were related to three potential anthropometric landmarks on the skin surface and statistical analysis was undertaken to validate the results. ResultsThe range of heights of each individual used in this study was comparable to previous anthropometric surveys, confirming that a representative sample had been used. The vertical dimension of essential medical coverage demonstrated good correlation to torso height (suprasternal notch to iliac crest) but not to stature (r2=0.53 versus 0.04). Horizontal coverage did not correlate to either measure of height. Surface landmarks utilised in this study were proven to be reliable surrogate markers for the boundaries of the underlying anatomical structures potentially requiring essential protection by a plate. ConclusionsProviding a range of plate sizes, particularly multiple heights, should optimise the medical coverage and thus effectiveness of body armour for UK Armed Forces personnel. The results of this work provide evidence that a single width of plate if chosen correctly will provide the essential medical coverage for the entire military population, whilst recognising that it still could overprotect the smallest individuals. With regards to anthropometric measurements; it is recommended, based on this work, that torso height is used instead of stature for sizing body armour. Coverage assessments should now be undertaken for side protection as well as for other non-Caucasian populations and females, with anthropometric surveys utilising the three landmarks recommended in this study.

The effect of flexible body armour on pulmonary function

The additional mass and fit of current military in-service body armour (ISBA) can reduce pulmonary function in a way that is characteristic of a restrictive respiratory impairment. This could ultimately impair exercise capacity and military performance. This study compared pulmonary function (forced vital capacity [FVC] and forced expiratory volume in 1 s [FEV1]) in UK ISBA (15.3 kg) and three flexible body armours (BAs) (FA1: 10 kg; FA2: 7.8 kg; FA3: 10 kg) in eight male soldiers. The design of the ballistic plates differed between the BAs to improve the flexibility. FVC and FEV1 were reduced by 4–6%, without reduction in FEV1/FVC for ISBA, FA2 and FA3, when compared to NoBA (p < 0.05). No difference was observed between FA1 and NoBA. As expected, wearing BA caused a mild restrictive ventilatory impairment; however, modifications to BA design can reduce the degree of this impairment.Practitioner Summary: This study showed that wearing body armour caused a mild restrictive ventilatory impairment. However, the design of the armour can be modified to reduce the degree of this impairment. This may lead to improvements in soldier performance during tasks that require body armour.

The effects of military body armour on trunk and hip kinematics during performance of manual handling tasks

Musculoskeletal injuries are reported as burdening the military. An identified risk factor for injury is carrying heavy loads; however, soldiers are also required to wear their load as body armour. To investigate the effects of body armour on trunk and hip kinematics during military-specific manual handling tasks, 16 males completed 3 tasks while wearing each of 4 body armour conditions plus a control. Three-dimensional motion analysis captured and quantified all kinematic data. Average trunk flexion for the weightiest armour type was higher compared with control during the carry component of the ammunition box lift (p < 0.001) and sandbag lift tasks (p < 0.001). Trunk rotation ROM was lower for all armour types compared with control during the ammunition box place component (p < 0.001). The altered kinematics with body armour occurred independent of armour design. In order to optimise armour design, manufacturers need to work with end-users to explore how armour configurations interact with range of personal and situational factors in operationally relevant environments.Practitioner Summary: Musculoskeletal injuries are reported as burdening the military and may relate to body armour wear. Body armour increased trunk flexion and reduced trunk rotation during military-specific lifting and carrying tasks. The altered kinematics may contribute to injury risk, but more research is required.

The Effects of Military Body Armor on Isometric and Isokinetic Knee Behaviors

OCCUPATIONAL APPLICATIONSDespite the proven effectiveness of new-generation body armor against ballistic threats, small arms, and improvised explosive devices, such body armor has become a source of concern for warfighters' performance and musculoskeletal injuries. Prolonged periods of performing physical activities, with versus without body armor, were found to alter knee neuromuscular behavior. With body armor, the maximum strength of the knee flexors and the extensor-to-flexor strength ratio were found, respectively, to reduce and increase than in conditions without body armor. Such changes in knee neuromuscular behavior are known to adversely affect physical performance and risk of knee injury. Quantitative information related to changes in knee neuromuscular behavior induced by body armor can be used in the design of injury risk assessment tools, physical training programs that decrease or correct a particular imbalance, and to establish return to service (i.e., post injury) standards for dismounted warfighters.TECHNICAL ABSTRACT Background: Knee injuries among military service members have a substantially high prevalence. Dismounted warfighters often must navigate diverse environments while wearing body armor. Purpose: Given the suggested role of body armor mass on a warfighter's performance and risk of injury, the immediate and prolonged effects of body armor on the neuromuscular behavior of knee flexors and extensors were investigated. Methods: Body armor-induced changes in selected measures related to isometric and isokinetic behaviors of the knee were quantified using a commercial dynamometer. This was done in two testing sessions, with and without body armor, by assessing neuromuscular behaviors of the knee before and after participants completed a battery of basic and military-inspired tests, as well as a 45-minute brisk walking protocol. Results: Completing tests with body armor versus no armor was found to cause a greater change (i.e., reduction of ∼10 N·m) in maximum isometric strength of the knee flexors. It also was found to be associated with a significant increase in conventional/functional strength ratios. While there was no significant difference in maximum isometric knee extensor strength between genders at baseline, females demonstrated a significant reduction (∼16 N·m) following completion of tests regardless of the body armor condition. Conclusion: In general, the prolonged duration of wearing body armor was found to cause changes in the neuromuscular behavior of knee flexors and extensors that have been suggested in the literature to be associated with a higher risk of injury and reduced warfighter performance.

The effects of military body armour on the lower back and knee mechanics during box drop and prone to standing tasks

Modern day body armour (BA) has been successful at increasing survivability from previously lethal explosives; however, it has been suggested to reduce warfighter’s performance and increase risk of injury. Joint biomechanics have a foremost impact on performance and risk of injury. The immediate and prolonged effects of wearing BA on biomechanics of the lower back and knee during box drop (BD) and prone to standing tasks were investigated. The immediate effects of BA on both tasks were an increase of ≥4% (p ≤ 0.02) in temporal task durations and a decrease of ~1.66 N/kg (p = 0.03) in normalised peak ground reaction force for the BD test. The prolonged duration of walking with BA (i.e. 45 min) was not found to cause more changes in our measures than walking without BA. Quantitative data related to the effects of BA are important for risk assessment and mission design such to reduce the risk of injury without compromising performance.Practitioner Summary:The effects of wearing military body armour (BA) on biomechanics of the lower back and knee were investigated. Though wearing BA was found to affect some biomechanical measures related to performance, the prolonged effects of exposure on our measures were the same whether or not the participants wore BA.

Defining the essential anatomical coverage provided by military body armour against high energy projectiles

IntroductionBody armour is a type of equipment worn by military personnel that aims to prevent or reduce the damage caused by ballistic projectiles to structures within the thorax and abdomen....

The effects of military body armour on the lower back and knee mechanics during toe-touch and two-legged squat tasks

While effective in the prevention of otherwise lethal injuries, military body armour (BA) has been suggested to reduce warfighter's performance and increase injury-related musculoskeletal conditions. Providing the significant role of joint biomechanics in both performance and risk of injury, the immediate and prolonged effects of wearing BA on biomechanics of the lower back and knee during toe-touch (TT) and two-legged squat (TLS) tasks were investigated. The immediate effects of BA were an increase of >40 ms (p ≤ 0.02) in flexion duration of the dominant joint and an ∼1 s (p ≤ 0.02) increase in overall task duration as well as an ∼18% (p = 0.03) decrease in the lumbopelvic rhythm ratio near the mid-range of trunk flexion. In general the prolonged duration of wearing BA (i.e. 45 min of walking) was not found to cause more changes in our measures than walking without BA.

Does quilting improve the fragment protective performance of body armour?

The primary function of military body armour is to provide protection from fragmenting munitions and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). This is usually achieved by the use of multiple layers of woven para-aramid fabric. The resulting body armour is heavy and contributes to the burden on the dismounted soldier. Reduction in body armour mass and hence thermophysiological loading without reducing the level of protection is therefore of interest worldwide. Many manufacturers quilt the fabric component of body armour which reportedly improves fragment protective performance, however, the topic does not appear to have been explored thoroughly. In this work a preliminary study on the effect of quilting on the fragment protective performance of a commercially available woven para-aramid fabric is reported. The fragment protective performance of specimens varying in construction (1, 2, 3 and 5 layers) with three quilting regimes (no quilting, diamond quilting, square quilting) is presented and analysed.

Degradation of military body armor due to wear: Laboratory testing

Personal armor, including body armor, is protective clothing designed to either absorb or deflect attacks that would usually be fatal to an individual. These attacks include, but are not limited to, slashing, bludgeoning, stabbing and ballistic threats. In the UK, body armor is worn by police officers for their shift; however, military personnel (particularly when based overseas) may wear body armor continuously for much longer time periods. Thus, the effect of wear due to use on the performance of body armor is of interest. Testing of body armor after actual use is problematic for several reasons including, but not limited to, (i) access to such items and (ii) a lack of knowledge of exactly what the body armor has been exposed to. Thus the use of laboratory testing to understand degradation of body armor is of interest to many agencies. Additionally, laboratory testing allows for the effect of variables to be investigated independently of each other, as well as in combination. The effect of inter-layer wear between apparel items and/or among layers of fabric within apparel does not appear to be systematically explored in the literature. In this paper, the effect of wear on (i) the tensile strength and (ii) the fragment protective performance of fabrics packs containing a para-aramid woven fabric typical of those used to manufacture body armor was investigated.

Comparing the Comfort and Potential Military Performance Restriction of Neck Collars From the Body Armor of Six Different Countries

The aim of this trial was to undertake an assessment of ballistic neck collars to assess comfort and potential military performance restriction. Neck collars from six different countries were procured with 71 U.K. servicemen assessing two randomly allocated collars to rate one against the other. 58% of participants had worn UK neck collars previously on exercise, but only 6% had used them on operational tours. Body armor with shorter and thinner collars was rated the most comfortable, despite lying close to the neck. It was easier to aim a rifle wearing collars with overlapping segments, especially when in the prone position. Although higher and more rigid collars fared worse overall, this could potentially be offset by the higher levels of ballistic protection they provide. There is a need to evaluate other methods of protecting the neck such as nape protectors and ballistic scarves in combination with the use of backpacks and biometric data collection. Currently, there exists no agreed method of performing ergonomic (or human factor) assessments of the varying components of military body armor systems. Published standards for the minimum military performance requirements of the various components of body armor, including neck collars, need to be established.

The Effect of Body Armor on Performance, Thermal Stress, and Exertion: A Critical Review

Armed forces worldwide utilize some form of body armor as part of their personal protective system. This is particularly essential in recent times because of the increased sophistication of weapons employed during modern warfare and the advent of unconventional combat methods (such as the increased use of improvised explosive devices). There is some evidence to show, however, that the usage of military body armor impairs physical performance. This review of the literature will focus on the effect of body armor on the performance of, and physiological and subjective responses during, military-style physical tasks. Because of the paucity of research investigating body armor, this review will also draw upon more generalized personal protective clothing and equipment literature from a range of physically demanding occupations (i.e., firefighting and other emergency services). The review will conclude with suggested directions for future research in this area.

Comparing the human factors of neck collars in different military body armour systems

Comparing the human factors of neck collars in different military body armour systems

Imaging Body Armor

This study examined the feasibility of performing radiographic studies on patients wearing standard-issue body armor. The Kevlar helmet, fragmentation vest, demining suit sleeve, and armor plate were studied with plain film and computed tomography in a simulated casualty situation. We found that the military helmet contains metal screws and metal clips in the headband, but diagnostic computed tomographic images can be obtained. Kevlar, the principal component of soft armor, has favorable photon attenuation characteristics. Plate armor of composite material also did not limit radiographic studies. Therefore, when medically advantageous, patients can be examined radiographically while wearing standard military body armor. Civilian emergency rooms should be aware of these observations because law enforcement officers wear similar protective armor.