Bullet-proof vest is a means of individual protection of the torso and the most important organs of a person, when exposed to cold weapons and firearms, as well as ammunition fragments. The body armor not only protects against enemy fire, but also allows you to more boldly and effectively use your own weapon.
In Russia , a special set of requirements is imposed on protective body armor, which is defined by GOST R 50744–95. The total area of protection of the body armor must provide protection for at least 90% of the area of vital organs in the dorsal and frontal projections. The area of the bulletproof reinforcement panels must be at least 22 dm2.
The design of the body armor consists of the following elements:
- outer cover with attachment and fit system,
- main armor elements,
- shock absorbing pad,
- armor material as part of a shock-absorbing pad and a cover.
The outer cover
The outer cover forms the appearance of the body armor (like a poncho) and consists of the chest and back parts, which are interconnected by shoulder and waist belts, allowing the body armor to be adjusted to the user’s figure. This design of the body armor facilitates access to the human body in case of injury and reduces the required number of standard sizes, although it reduces the comfort of wearing, as well as protection from the sides. Recently, instead of adjusting belts in vests, they increasingly use zippers, buttons or Velcro. The cover material has a heat-resistant and waterproof fabric base, which serves to accommodate ballistic panels. The cover can be supplied with pockets like a vest and items placed in its pockets can in some cases serve as additional protection.
Inside the body armor is equipped with a shock-absorbing pad (damper) with special channels to improve ventilation and provide additional comfort to the user. In addition, such a damper structure reduces the impact of bullets and shrapnel on the human body. best buying place www.bestplatecarrier.com
The main disadvantages of body armor
Certified NIBs must ensure that injuries caused by bullets of their class are not fatal. Russian GOST requires that injuries do not exceed the 2nd degree of severity, i.e. the person received nothing more than a serious bruise. However, no body armor provides one hundred percent protection against more serious injuries and damage. For example, if a bullet hits the NIB protection class, a situation is possible when the bulletproof vest will stop the bullet, but the person will receive fatal injuries. From a strong impact of a bullet on a bulletproof vest, a person can lose consciousness, receive serious concussion injuries, and even lead to death. The dynamic impact from a medium-caliber bullet can knock a person down. And if a bullet hits the chest, solar plexus or heart, then the force of the blow can lead to not only bruises and bruises,
Parts of deformed bullets, fragments of a ballistic package, as well as any parts torn off when a bullet or shrapnel hits a bulletproof vest, which can ricochet a person into any open part of the body, are also dangerous.
In addition to these shortcomings, most bulletproof vests have problems with bullet deflection or bullet deflection. Armored displacement appears when a bullet hits a bulletproof vest. According to Russian standards, this displacement should not exceed 20 millimeters. According to experts, in many cases of death of people, if there were no body armor and if the bullet had not touched vital organs, the person would have remained alive. It is not uncommon for an AK-74 or M16 rifle to pierce a bulletproof vest, change direction and pass through the whole body. Even if the vest does not penetrate, but the armor bends inward, this can cause serious contusion injuries, up to and including death.
By the way, the latest bullets with a core of increased hardness, as well as bullets with a Teflon coating, can penetrate any of the known types of body armor that are not equipped with special additional protection. And practically no modern body armor can protect against armor-piercing bullets of rifle and machine-gun cartridges when firing at close range. This is the limit for body armor, because in addition to the increased mass of special equipment, the impulse from the absorbed energy becomes unbearable for a person.
The materials used in the NIB also cause serious criticism. The main disadvantage of aramid fabrics is that their protective ability drops sharply with increasing speed of the piercing element. They practically do not protect against bullets and fragments flying at a speed of over 500 m / s, although they are extremely effective against secondary fragments and slowly flying elements. A serious disadvantage of aramid fabrics is that they pass sharp thin elements between the fibers, such as a stylet, sharpening, awl, etc., which can easily pierce almost any number of layers of aramid fabric. Also, the disadvantages of armide fiber include the fact that the material loses its properties when wet. Aramid fibers, by themselves, absorb moisture, while losing up to 40% of their strength, which weakens protection.
