Types Of Armour Research Articles

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF INDIVIDUAL BALLISTIC PROTECTION MEANS USED IN THE RUSSO-UKRAINIAN WAR

The present scientific paper presents a comparative analysis of the different types of individual ballistic protection devices, particularly focusing on body armor used in the high-intensity conflict between Russia and Ukraine. With the advancement of technologies and the introduction of new tactics in modern conflicts, losses of personnel significantly increased. The use of effective individual ballistic protection devices substantially reduces these losses. The report examines the following parameters to compare different types of body armor: class of ballistic protection, weight, protective area, and comfort in use. To conduct the analysis, available literary sources, military reports, and feedback from the personnel of the countries involved in the conflict were studied.

Biomimetic design and impact simulation of Al2O3/Al composite armor based on armadillo shell

The advancement of lightweight protective armors holds critical importance for enhancing the maneuverability and combat capabilities of helicopters. Leveraging insights from bionics, it provides a new idea for high-performance armor design. In this study, a new type of composite armor was designed by referring to the structural characteristics of hard phase-protection, soft phase-buffering of unitization armadillo shell. Through the numerical study, the anti-ballistic performance of armor with varying thickness ratios of the dense ceramic layer to the interpenetrating layer is obtained, and the influence of different structures of armor on the anti-ballistic performance is analyzed. The results show that compared with the traditional laminated composite armor, the Al2O3/Al biomimetic composite armor not only improves the separation phenomenon caused by wave impedance mismatch, but also greatly improves the speed drop in resisting high-speed and penetrating bullets. When the thickness ratio is 2:1, the armor has higher ballistic protection performance.

Analysis of Injury Metrics From Experimental Cardiac Injuries From Behind Armor Blunt Trauma Using Live Swine Tests: A Pilot Study.

Warfighters are issued hard body armor designed to defeat ballistic projectiles. The resulting backface deformation can injure different thoracoabdominal organs. Developed over decades ago, the behind armor blunt impact criterion of maximum 44 mm depth in clay continues to be used independent of armor type or impact location on the thoracoabdominal region covered by the armor. Because thoracoabdominal components have different energy absorption capabilities, their mode of failures and mechanical properties are different. These considerations underscore the lack of effectiveness of using the single standard to cover all thoracoabdominal components to represent the same level of injury risk. The objective of this pilot study is to conduct cardiac impact tests with a live animal model and analyze biomechanical injury candidate metrics for behind armor blunt trauma applications. Live swine tests were conducted after obtaining approvals from the U.S. DoD. Trachea tubes. An intravenous line were introduced into the swine before administering anesthesia. Pressure transducers were inserted into lungs and aorta. An indenter simulating backface deformation profiles produced by body armor from military-relevant ballistics to human cadavers delivered impact to the heart region. The approved test protocol included 6-hour monitoring and necropsies. Indenter accelerometer signals were processed to compute the velocity and deflection, and their peak magnitudes were obtained. The deflection-time signal was normalized with respect to chest depth along the impact axis. The peak magnitude of the viscous criterion, kinetic energy, force, momentum and stiffness were obtained. Out of the 8 specimens, 2 were sham controls. The mean total body mass and soft tissue thickness at the impact site were 81.1 ± 4.1 kg and 3.8 ± 1.1 cm. The peak velocities ranged from 30 to 59 m/s, normalized deflections ranged from 15 to 21%, and energies ranged from 105 to 407 J. The range in momentum and stiffness were 7.0 to 13.9 kg-m/s and 22.3 to 79.9 N/m. The maximum forces and impulse data ranged from 2.9 to 11.7 kN and 1.9 to 5.8 N-s. The peak viscous criterion ranged from 2.0 to 5.3 m/s. One animal did not sustain any injuries, 2 had cardiac injuries, and others had lung and skeletal injuries. The present study applied blunt impact loads to the live swine cardiac region and determined potential candidate injury metrics for characterization. The sample size of 6 swine produced injuries ranging from none to pure skeletal to pure organ trauma. The viscous criterion metric associated with the response of the animal demonstrated a differing pattern than other variables with increasing velocity. These findings demonstrate that our live animal experimental design can be effectively used with testing additional samples to develop behind armor blunt injury criteria for cardiac trauma in the form of risk curves. Injury criteria obtained for cardiac trauma can be used to enhance the effectiveness of the body armor, reduce morbidity and mortality, and improve warfighter readiness in combat operations.

Chainmail inspired metamaterials for use in protective sports equipment

Contact sports and action sports require intense performance yet also include a high risk of injury. Subsequently, protective equipment for those sports usually must trade flexibility for protection and vice versa. Chainmail inspired mechanical metamaterials could be a solution to this dilemma. Chainmail is a type of body armour, consisting of a structured fabric made up of thousands of interlocking metallic rings. Chainmail inspired materials have recently been made from connected 3D shapes, rather than the typical 2D (flat) rings. This chainmail inspired material is flexible when relaxed but stiff when the chains are compressed together. This ability to control the material’s stiffness means chainmail is a type of mechanical metamaterial. Mechanical metamaterials are engineered structures which derive their properties from the structure of the material, not the material itself. In relation to protective equipment, this means that these chainmail materials or fabrics, can be flexible during normal use but stiffen when indented or impacted. The flexibility of these materials can be influenced by changing the size and shape of the connecting chains but to what extent and the effect this has on their stiffness is unknown. This type of structure could improve sporting protective equipment, where (as stated before) there are various trade-offs. The aim of this project was to develop a chainmail inspired material and test the effect of varying cell sizes has on the flexibility and indentation resistance of the material. Additive manufacturing was used to create the chainmail materials and a range of indenters were used to test them, the results of which indicate that as cell size decreases and number of cells increase; their flexibility and formability increases while also maintaining a good degree of indentation resistance, when compared to larger cell sizes. Based on this work, these structures could be tailored to different sporting protective equipment where flexibility, support, and stiffness requirements may vary between normal use and collisions or falls. These chainmail inspired materials could have various applications in contact sports such as rugby, American football and ice hockey where protection for players is key to reduce the severity of injuries. Similarly, action sports such as mountain biking, skateboarding, skiing and snowboarding also necessitate a high degree of protection. An Alternative application for these materials could be as a first aid device, where the material would be formed around the injury site as a brace and stiffened with compression, such as a vacuum pack.

PentaPod: A new type of concrete armor for coastal protection

This paper explores PentaPod, an invention in concrete armor units developed to protect coastal areas from damage caused by waves and currents. Until now, there hasn't been an armor unit intentionally designed to enhance its stability through connections with neighboring units. PentaPod provides a novel perspective, suggesting that the stability of armor units can be significantly improved not only by having substantial weight and effective interlocking but also by securely connecting them to each other. With this in mind, PentaPod concrete armor can be installed in a random or regular manner without the need for fasteners. Alternatively, it can also be installed regularly in layers with fasteners. Compared to conventional concrete armor installations, the overall stability of structures is significantly improved with interconnected PentaPod, either partially or entirely. In this paper, the results of testing the Stability Coefficient (Kd) for two variations of armor, namely PentaCone and PentaOcta, tested in a Wave Tank are also presented. The objective of this testing is to ascertain the stability coefficient for both variations of armor when installed randomly or regularly without any tying involved. The PentaPod arrangement allows for the implementation of both Grey Protection (using concrete armor) and Green Protection (conservation of mangrove areas) simultaneously, showcasing its versatility and integrated approach to coastal protection.

Administrative and legal characteristics of the establishment and development of the organizational and legal principles of the use of individual armor protection: the New Kingdom Period and the Middle Ages

In the article, the author carried out a thorough administrative and legal characterization of the formation and development of the organizational and legal foundations of the use of individual armor protection in such periods as the period of the New Kingdom and the Middle Ages. For the first time, the author conducted a study of the formation and development of the organizational and legal foundations of the use of individual armor protection of various periods dating back to ancient times. With the development of a wide range of armor, weapons also underwent evolution, which made the means of personal protection less effective. That is why they were forced to change their qualities in the process of the evolution of weapons production for their effectiveness. In all periods and in those distant prehistoric times, people tried in every way to protect their body from damage by the enemy. Accordingly, in the studied period of the New Kingdom, heavy armor was used, which was defined as rare and associated with attributes of power and prestige. An important part of the Egyptian royal historiography was determined by the paraphernalia on which the pharaoh was depicted, rushing on a fast-moving chariot, and he at one time struck a crowd of enemies with a bow. Also, to protect the legs, leggings were used as means of personal protection, and to protect the hands, respectively, a hasty glove. This period of development of personal protective equipment was also characterized by the fact that animal skin was used as the first armor to protect the body. Animal skins were wrapped by warriors around the body or simply draped over the shoulders and hung behind, covering the back. Also used was a bronze bell-shaped carapace consisting of front and back plates, with a simple relief depicting the anatomy of the upper human torso. The two plates were connected to each other with the help of the corresponding fasteners, which are located on the sides and on the shoulders. The bell-shaped carapace gradually went out of circulation as it was replaced by the canvas carapace. Along with this shell, there was also an iron shell. Rich Romans wore chain mail, which was apparently also used by some Greeks at the time. The period of formation and development of personal protective equipment, namely the period of the Middle Ages, is characterized by the following features: it is considered “a great period in the history of the development of knightly protective weapons”; three types of soft armor were used, namely: 1) made of fabric (for example, linen) or leather lined with wool or wool; 2) chain mail (used in Europe since the 5th century BC); 3) from metal plates (more or less large and rigid); pleated paper was used for the production of personal protective equipment at that time.

Analysis of the state of the problem of improving the armor-piercing properties of personal protective equipment: a review study

The object of the study is personal protective equipment such as body armour, and the subject of the work is the study of the processes of destruction of the integrity of personal protective equipment such as body armour in order to find ways to improve their strength characteristics. Protective body armour is a key element of protection for the military, law enforcement agencies and other professions involving risk to life. Modern materials and technologies make it possible to produce bulletproof vests of the highest level of protection, providing not only protection against bullets but also against other hazards such as explosions and shrapnel. However, the systems must have improved ballistic efficiency, be lightweight, flexible and comfortable for effective work. In general, the effectiveness of protective body armour is determined by various factors, including the construction technique of the vest, the type of materials and the finish of the protective panels.
 This paper provides a detailed overview of the current state of the art in body armour panel design and various materials for the manufacture of protective plates. A detailed analysis of the different types of protective body armour and their categories is provided. Next, various methods of panel construction, their problems and possible solutions will be presented. Finally, various polymeric fibre and future possible advanced materials, including carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene CNTs and super thickened fluids (STFs), will be discussed for the development of enhanced protection panels.

Defensive armament of the Hunnu

The article analyzes the findings of protective equipment made in the archaeological monuments of the Hunnu culture on the territory of Transbaikalia and Mongolia. The description of the main features of horn and iron plates is given, their images are shown. The origin of various elements of armor plating and the period of their existence are considered. Reconstructions of the armours and helmets of the Hunnu have been created with the involvement of fully preserved analogues. The Hunnic warriors used lamellar and scaly cuirass, poncho, and robe armor, as well as lamellar helmets with a closed dome and an open top. The leading role of the Hunnu in the development of iron armor in Central Asia is noted. The appearance of new details of lamellar armor with an original system of six holes and a plate shape borrowed from scaly armor was revealed in the Hunnu. These plates were borrowed by other nomads and the Chinese. It is concluded that the level of development of defensive means allowed the Hunnu to form independent units of armored cavalry. More complete types of armour and helmets, including those of imported origin, were probably owned by commanders (representatives of the nobility). Ordinary warriors used armor of a lightweight design, where in addition to iron, less resistant materials (horn, leather, wood) were also used. Despite the fact that the Hunnu armored cavalry did not yet have sufficient penetrating power in the confrontation with the Chinese infantry, their experience in the development of defensive weapons proved useful for the subsequent evolution of armor among the Nomads.

New Explosive Composite Armor Technology for Light Armored Vehicles

Taking the future add-on armor of light armored platforms as the application background and research object, in view of armored combat vehicles’ weak survivability and low protection capability against RPGs and armor-piercing projectiles in urban warfare, and based on the research on protection mechanisms of traditional reactive and ceramic composite armor, a new type of explosive composite armor consisting of a composite shell, an explosive structural unit and a lightweight composite unit has been successfully developed. It provides effective protection against RPGs and armor-piercing projectiles at the same time. Compared with foreign data, its weight loss has reached 19%, making it a lightweight composite armor with low after-effect.

Penetration performance and fragmentation mechanism behind target of tungsten fibre/zirconium-based bulk metallic glass matrix composite rod

A tungsten fibre/zirconium-based bulk metallic glass matrix composite (WF/Zr-MG) is a type of armour piercing material with significant development potential. When it penetrates a finite-thickness target plate, it results in damage different from those generated by W alloys. Therefore, the penetration of 80% WF/Zr-MG by volume fraction (the diameter of the W fibre is 0.3 mm) into a 120-mm-thick 45 steel target plate is investigated experimentally at an impact velocity of 1600 ± 20 m/s. Subsequently, the results are comp rod ared with those of a 91 Walloy (91 W) rod to investigate the penetration performance and damage ability behind the target of composite materials. The damage effects of the 45 steel target plate and after-effect target are analysed. The penetration performance and fragmentation mechanism of the two materials are analysed experimentally and based on theoretical calculations. The experimental results indicate that the WF/Zr-MG rod shows self-sharpening in the nose, a smaller average crater diameter, less kinetic energy loss, and better penetration performance compared with the 91 W rod. The bonding force between the phases of WF/Zr-MG is significantly lower than that of 91 W, and cracks formed easily in the material during the penetration process. Radial stress is released instantaneously after the WF/Zr-MG rod departs from the target; consequently, the WF/Zr-MG rod underwent radial expansion, fracture, and dispersion. The damaged areas of WF/Zr-MG measured 1734 and 1661 cm2, which exhibit fragment diffusion angles of 46.5° and 46.1°, respectively. However, the damaged areas of the W alloy are only 1017 and 1193 cm2, and the corresponding fragment diffusion angles are only 35.3° and 37.8°, respectively. The damage parameters of WF/Zr-MG behind the target are greater than those of the tungsten alloy, which increased its killing capacity behind the target.

Numerical Modelling of Free Surface Agitation in a Coastal Lagoon by Roadway Path Influence

The development and construction of highway infrastructure are essential in developing countries, whereas its layout and construction sometimes interact with the coastal environment. One problem to attend to is that the outline and geometry designs impact as little as possible on the hydrodynamic circulation of coastal bodies in order to alter the associated ecosystem as little as possible. The study area is located in the north of Colombia, and is made up of a continental coastal zone (Mallorquín Lagoon) and a marine zone (Caribbean Sea), in which a highway is projected that provides communication between two locations. This study presents the application of a numerical model previously developed and modified by the Berkhoff equation, which is developed in a finite difference scheme and has been validated and applied in different works in coastal and fluvial shallow water areas. The application of the model was carried out in a hydrodynamic circulation research project for a one-way highway through a coastal lagoon, where the knowledge of the magnitude of the incident wave height in the structure of the road body is necessary for the design, protection elements, and road geometry. Two numerical simulation scenarios were carried out, specifying normal conditions and extraordinary wave conditions in the month of November with a simulation time of 15 days, obtaining the velocity field associated with coastal currents, waves, and wave modification phenomena, such as refraction, diffraction, and reflection, which provide the height of the incident wave on the highway and the recirculation patterns in the coastal lagoon to identify alterations in the ecosystem. The results of the wave height in each scenario and the velocity field provide values to be used in the design, type of armor, and dimensions of the protection works required for the proper functioning of the road structure.

ПРОМЫШЛЕННОЕ ПРОИЗВОДСТВО НОВЫХ ОБРАЗЦОВ АВИАЦИОННОЙ БРОНИ В СОВЕТСКОМ ВОЕННО-ПРОМЫШЛЕННОМ КОМПЛЕКСЕ В КОНЦЕ 1930-Х - 1940-Е ГГ.

The theme of the work is the industrial production of new models of aviation armor in the Soviet military-industrial complex. The historical period covered in the study is the end of the 1930s - 1940s. The author highlights the stages of development, testing and application of aviation armor in the Soviet military-industrial complex in the late 1930s - 1940s, considers the methods of armoring and the structural elements of the aircraft which were subject to priority armoring. The types of armor materials are studied from the point of view of their application in aircraft construction. The author compares the systems of armoring in Soviet aircraft and aircraft of foreign countries, and analyzes the process of introducing aviation armor on various types and models of aviation equipment in the USSR Air Force. At the end of the article, he comes to conclusion about the timeliness of the use of armor in the aviation of the USSR and the introduction of the military-industrial complex of industrial production of new types of aviation armor.

Computational evaluation of assembly technique influence on ballistic performance of a bullet – non-linear relation between méplat size and the drag coefficient

The continuous development of production and assembly techniques gives rise to the idea of following a new approach in the small-arms ammunition design process. Commonly used intermediate cartridges were designed over 60 years ago, and their construction and assembly processes are not significantly different than what was available almost a century ago. Along with the recent development of individual protection devices and with the general availability of modern ballistic plates utilized in plate carriers type of individual armor, it sparks the necessity of designing a new, intermediate cartridge, using new assembly and technology methods. The vital aspect of the ammunition design process is a determination of the materials utilized in bullet elements and its assembly method. Therefore, there is a necessity of evaluating if different assembly techniques can provide the improved ballistic performance of a bullet. The paper includes a comparison of two differently assembled projectiles with steel penetrators: a standard Full Metal Jacket and a reverse-drawn Semi-Jacketed bullet. The designs were evaluated in terms of their external ballistic performance for specific initial conditions using 2D Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations and, separately, with a semi-empirical method. The paper aimed to assess the influence of the assembly method on the bullet’s external ballistic performance. Both calculations revealed a nonlinear relation between the projectile méplat diameter and the coefficient of drag, which indicates a limit where the méplat size reduction is beneficial. The results implicate a perspective bullet construction that would provide the user with better external ballistic performance, more consistent and precise than a standard Full Metal Jacket design.

Experimental studies on the effects of placement method and packing density of cubic armour units on the stability of low-crested breakwaters

Although concrete armour units have traditionally been used in two layers, the application of single-layer armour has attracted more attention in recent years because of its lower concrete volume and faster construction pace. Single-layer amour relies mainly on the contact between units to provide stability; however, installation of special armour types with surface projections for better interlocking, increases the possibility of breakage. During the last decade the idea of using bulky armour units such as cubes has been raised, and the application of these single-layer armour units has become common for high-crested breakwaters. However, the application of cube armours for low-crested breakwaters has not yet been fully investigated. This paper describes a set of experiments conducted to study the effects of the placement method and packing density of cubic armour units on the stability of low-crested breakwaters. The results show that the orderly placement of cubic armours on the slopes of low-crested breakwaters provides better hydraulic stability than an irregular placement. Regarding the packing density, the experiments reveal that it is possible to apply different placement densities on the breakwater slope below and above a certain level with respect to the toe of the breakwater.

ŞÂHNÂME’DE YER ALAN ZIRH, MİĞFER VE KALKAN İLE İLGİLİ KAYITLAR

Ortaçağ’da İran coğrafyasında yazılan Şâhnâme, savaş teçhizatları ile ilgili birçok terim barındırmaktadır. Araştırmamızın amacı eserde bulunan zırh, miğfer ve kalkan ile ilgili terimleri açıklığa kavuşturmaktır. Çalışmada zırhı belirtmek için kullanılan kelimeler, zırh çeşitleri ve zırhı kullanan kişilerden bahsedilmektedir. Başka bir başlık altında kaynakta bulunan miğfer ile ilgili terimlere değinilmektedir. Diğer bir konu olarak Şâhnâme’de bulunan kalkan çeşitleri, hükümdarlara ait kalkanlar gibi bahisler işlenmektedir. Çalışmanın sonuçları arasında Ortaçağ’da İran coğrafyasında birçok silah kültür havzasına ait teçhizatın kullanıldığı tespit edilmiştir. Antik dönemde İran’da kullanılan savaş malzemelerinden Ortaçağ’da da aktif bir şekilde yararlanıldığı anlaşılmaktadır. Bu çalışmayla birlikte eserin daha iyi anlaşılması ümit edilmektedir.

Effects of Thermal Aging on Molar Mass of Ultra-High Molar Mass Polyethylene Fibers.

Ultra-high molar mass polyethylene (UHMMPE) is commonly used for ballistic-resistant body armor applications due to the superior strength of the fibers fabricated from this material combined with its low density. However, polymeric materials are susceptible to thermally induced degradation during storage and use, which can reduce the high strength of these fibers, and, thus, negatively impact their ballistic resistance. The objective of this work is to advance the field of lightweight and soft UHMMPE inserts used in various types of ballistic resistant-body armor via elucidating the mechanisms of chemical degradation and evaluating this chemical degradation, as well as the corresponding physical changes, of the UHMMPE fibers upon thermal aging. This is the first comprehensive study on thermally aged UHMMPE fibers that measures their decrease in the average molar mass via high-temperature size exclusion chromatography (HT-SEC) analysis. The decrease in the molar mass was further supported by the presence of carbon-centered free radicals in the polyethylene that was detected using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. These carbon-centered radicals result from a cascade of thermo-oxidative reactions that ultimately induce C–C ruptures along the backbone of the polymer. Changes in the crystalline morphology of the UHMMPE fibers were also observed through wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXS), showing an increase in the amorphous regions, which promotes oxygen diffusion into the material, specifically through these areas. This increase in the amorphous fraction of the highly oriented polyethylene fibers has a synergistic effect with the thermo-oxidative degradation processes and contributes significantly to the decrease in their molar mass.

Armour and Weapons in Tibet from Yongle to Younghusband Learning from Object-Driven Research

This paper presents an overview of the origins and development of research into various types of arms and armour used in Tibet from approximately the fifteenth century to the early twentieth century. Incorporated into this are a brief survey of well recognised examples and a review of the wide multiplicity of rare and less familiar forms, including helmets, armour for men and horses, swords, and firearms, many of which have only come to light over the past twenty-five years.

Artificial stretchable armor for skin-interfaced wearable devices and soft robotics

Animals such as the armadillo and pangolin have natural armor as a mechanical form of protection from predators. Among the several types of armor that exist in nature, structures composed of thin elastomeric substrates with overlapping hard scales can shield underlying soft tissues from physical impacts and localized stresses while maintaining a level of mechanical compliance necessary for natural motions. Here, we design and fabricate a class of artificial armor that derives inspiration from these natural systems. The optimization process involves systematic tests of several design candidates to assess their mechanical stability against different types of mechanical stresses. The resulting platforms provide highly effective protection layers for wearable electronic devices and soft robotic systems with little constraint on their functionality, as demonstrated with representative devices.

Research on structural design and anti-penetration performance of ceramic composite armor

Two types of composite armor were designed (Composite armor I alumina ceramic/Kevlar/616 armored steel; Composite armor II alumina ceramic/616 armored steel/Kevlar). Through penetration tests and numerical simulations, the anti-penetration performance and anti-penetration mechanism of the composite armors were studied, and the influences of material arrangement on its anti-penetration performance were discussed. The results show that the established finite element models can reliably simulate the penetration process of composite armors. The failure modes of Kevlar and 616 armored steel in composite armor I are tensile failure and spalling damage, respectively. The failure mode of Kevlar and 616 armored steel in composite armor II is shear failure. The shear failure of 616 armored steel and Kevlar is a low energy consumption damage mode. Therefore, the structure form of composite armor I can give full play to the anti-penetration performance of the material, and the anti-penetration performance is better than that of composite armor I.

The History of the Idea of Glued Linen Armour

Many people have heard that ancient warriors wore armour of many layers of linen cloth glued together. Critics emphasize the lack of archaeological or written evidence for this construction; supporters emphasize that their reconstructions resemble armour in ancient art and pass practical tests. Both present the theory as one that first appeared in the 1970s. This article make two contributions to the debate. It shows how sixteenth-century scholars used a peculiar medieval chronicle to understand the linen armour in ancient texts, and how paraphrases and mistranslations of their theory ultimately lie behind the glued linen of today’s experiments, and it places this debate in the world history of fabric armour and the history of armour scholarship. It proposes that theories about the armour in vase paintings and sculptures should be based on archaeological evidence, types of armour documented in other cultures, or a close study of ancient textile technology, not on simply examining artwork and reading ancient texts.