Inspection of Failure Caused by Ballistic Impact on Body Armors Composed of Laminated Dyneema™

Abstract

In order to establish the survivability of law enforcement officers who may face a variety of risks in their work, it is important to predict the damage of armor caused by small caliber guns, which are widely used by street gangs all over the world. Due to the weight considerations, use of light weighted composites for body armor has continued to increase over years. Nevertheless, determining the damage capability of composite laminates against ballistic impact is not a simple problem as determining elastic stiffness of the armor due to the complex damage modes, which can occur in composites through impact phenomenon. This study presents the effects of impactor velocity to penetration mechanism. Additionally, the ballistic damage of Dyneema (TM) plates at different velocities are presented supported by real test reports.