A Method for Determining Backface Signatures of Soft Body Armors

Abstract

The Law Enforcement Assistance Administration is sponsoring a program to develop improved lightweight, inconspicuous armor that would protect the body from .22-caliber and .38-caliber bullets fired from handguns. Many factors must be considered in the selection of materials to be used in such armor. When high- speed projectiles strike flexible armor materials but do not penetrate, these materials deform quite readily and transmit a large amount of energy to the tissues directly beneath the point of impact. The goal of this study was to develop a method to characterize this deformation of 'backface signature' and relate it to tissue damage. Through the use of high-speed photography of backlighted gelatin blocks, the backface signatures of the .22-caliber and .38- caliber missiles were defined and related to tissue response. By increasing this data base, a predictive model relating the physical measures of backface signature to the physiological effects could be achieved, greatly reducing the cost of armor evaluation.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 1975
Accession Number
ADA012797

Entities

People

  • Earl M. Johnson
  • Leroy W. Metker
  • Russell N. Prather

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Blood
  • Body Armor
  • Computer Programs
  • Computers
  • Databases
  • Equations
  • High Speed Photography
  • Laboratory Animals
  • Law Enforcement
  • Materials
  • Measurement
  • Medical Personnel
  • National Security
  • Photography
  • Physical Properties
  • Standards
  • Tensile Strength

Readers

  • Mechanical Engineering/Mechanics of Materials.
  • Systems Analysis and Design
  • ballistics.