A Semiempirical Model for the Ballistic Impact Performance of Textile-Based Personnel Armor

Abstract

A parametric model has been developed to predict the performance of body armor systems under impact by a chunky steel projectile of arbitrary mass, shape, impact velocity, and impact obliquity. The model, which is based on a six-dimensional non linear regression analysis of extensive test data for Kevlar 29, is capable of predicting the performance of these body armor systems with user-defined areal density. The model partitions the energy absorbed by the body armor system into strain and kinetic energy; at impact velocities well above the ballistic limit of the system, the predominant mechanism of energy absorption is through kinetic energy transfer. The implications of this fact on the design of lightweight armor systems are discussed, along with the development of the model and suggestions for its use in designing, optimizing, and evaluating the functional utility of body armor systems.