Ballistic plate

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A pair of Small Arms Protective Insert plates, circa April 2006. These were issued to US Army units, before being replaced by the ESAPI. Sapi plates.jpg
A pair of Small Arms Protective Insert plates, circa April 2006. These were issued to US Army units, before being replaced by the ESAPI.

A ballistic plate, also known as an armour plate, is a protective armoured plate inserted into a carrier or bulletproof vest, that can be used stand-alone, or in conjunction with other armour. "Hard armour" usually denotes armour that uses ballistic plates.

Contents

It serves to defeat higher threats, and may be considered as a form of applique armour. It is usually inserted into the front and back, with side inserts also sometimes used. There are also plates for other regions, such as the shoulders, [1] lap, and throat. [2]

Dimensions and sizing

Ballistic plates can be found in a variety of sizes and shapes. [3] In the industry, armour plate shapes are common referred to as a cut, in reference to how the strike face must be cut from the material. The most common are the:

Some other cuts exist, but are far less used, such as the ergonomic cut, which covers most of the torso, and the ranger cut, which has largely fallen out of favour for much the same reasons as square.

Most overt armour plates usually are sized to 250 mm × 300 mm (10 in × 12 in), 280 mm × 360 mm (11 in × 14 in), and other such dimensions, however SAPI plates are slightly different. [4] In addition, armour plates may be curved to assist in the user's comfort and ergonomics.

Materials

Most ballistic plates are made of a combination of materials. The following categories denote the primary material used in different plate packages.

Ceramic

Granit ceramic plate for 6B45 body armor with hits from 7.62x54R SVD rifle Granit ceramic plate for 6B45.jpg
Granit ceramic plate for 6B45 body armor with hits from 7.62x54R SVD rifle

Ceramic armor plates, typically composed of boron carbide, silicon carbide, or other similar materials, are common place in military applications. The advantages of ceramic armor is that they are not only lighter than metals, but much harder as well, which enables them to deform tungsten core penetrators, and resist ammunition at a high velocity.

Ceramic material defeats projectiles by shattering it into pieces, decreasing the penetration ability of projectile. Compared to steel or titanium, ceramic plates have inferior multi-hit resistance due to its somewhat brittle nature; as such, they are vulnerable to projectiles which hit in a tight grouping, as these create a stress concentration on the plate and shatter the section of plate targeted, [5] although there are workarounds, as with the IM/PACT technologies demonstrated by Ceradyne, which use a stainless steel crack arrestor, [6] or the titanium arrestor of the newest GRANIT GOST 6A armoured plates fielded by Russia's Armed Forces. [7] Ceramic plates can also have their performance reduced or be rendered completely useless if subjected to excessively rough handling, [8] though the exact tolerance for rough handling can vary; British military instructions for the ceramic plates issued with Osprey body armour required users to discard and replace plates that were cracked or otherwise damaged, while stressing that air pockets and minor blemishes did not affect performance. [9]

Metal

Most metal ballistic plates are made primarily of steel or titanium, although aluminum and various alloys also exist. Steel plating, although it suffers less deformation, may suffer greater impulse generated by an impact, as the steel bends very little, and thus little energy is captured. A steel plate shatters a projectile, sending potentially dangerous fragmentation across the plane of the plate. [10] In addition, metal armour has the possibility of deflecting bullets, where they may end up in a limb, friendly personnel, bystanders or property. Munitions above 3100 fps have been known to penetrate commercial armour steel plates sold under NIJ Level III, most notably the 5.56×45mm M193 round. [11] As well, the most common material, AR500 steel, or Abrasion Resistant/ Brinell Hardness 500 steel, is actually not created for armour purposes, and thus can suffer major variances in hardness According to Leeco Steel, "While often requested for ammunition target surfaces, AR500 steel plate is not certified for ballistic use". [12]

Plastic

Multi-layered sheets/plates of ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) can provide an added ballistic enhancement equal to or even greater than metal plates with less weight. With these, there is the cost of less trauma reduction and the improbable but possible risk of fracture. UHMWPE can be strewn into a thread when made, and woven into a fabric that competes in strength, flexibility, and weight to modern aramid fabrics, and is now a commonly used material in vests. [13] UHMWPE however, does have weaknesses, most notably its vastly inferior heat and flame resistance due to being a thermoplastic with a low melting point (130 °C (266 °F)). UHMWPE should not be exposed to temperatures above 100 °C (212 °F) for prolonged periods of time. These composites also tend to bulge up quickly when shot as a result of the delamination.

Nanomaterials

As a potential material for future ballistic plates and anti-ballistic fabrics, carbon nanotube and nanocomposite materials offer strength to weight ratios that are potentially superior to other materials. For further information on these materials as applied to ballistics, see the section on ballistic vest nanomaterials in ballistics. There are plates made of nanomaterials currently available in commercial products.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armour</span> Covering used to protect from physical injury or damage

Armour or armor is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or from a potentially dangerous environment or activity. Personal armour is used to protect soldiers and war animals. Vehicle armour is used on warships, armoured fighting vehicles, and some combat aircraft, mostly ground attack aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armour-piercing ammunition</span> Ammunition type designed to penetrate armour

Armour-piercing ammunition (AP) is a type of projectile designed to penetrate armour protection, most often including naval armour, body armour, vehicle armour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bulletproof vest</span> Form of body armour that protects the torso from some projectiles

A bulletproof vest, also known as a ballistic vest or a bullet-resistant vest, is an item of body armour that helps absorb the impact and reduce or stop penetration to the torso by firearm-fired projectiles and fragmentation from explosions. The vest may come in a soft form, as worn by many police officers, prison officers, security guards, and some private citizens, used to protect against stabbing attacks or light projectiles, or hard form, using metallic or para-aramid components. Soldiers and police tactical units wear hard armour, either in conjunction with soft armour or alone, to protect against rifle ammunition or fragmentation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chobham armour</span> British-designed composite tank armour

Chobham armour is the informal name of a composite armour developed in the 1960s at the Military Vehicles and Engineering Establishment, a British tank research centre on Chobham Lane in Chertsey. The name has since become the common generic term for composite ceramic vehicle armour. Other names informally given to Chobham armour include Burlington and Dorchester. Special armour is a broader informal term referring to any armour arrangement comprising sandwich reactive plates, including Chobham armour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flak jacket</span> Jacket or vest that protects against shell fragments

A flak jacket or flak vest is a form of body armor. A flak jacket is designed to provide protection from case fragments ("frag") from high explosive weaponry, such as anti-aircraft artillery, grenade fragments, some types of pellets used in shotguns, and other lower-velocity projectiles. It is not designed to protect against bullets fired from most small arms such as rifles or handguns. However flak jackets are able to sustain certain gunshots, depending on the angle at which the shot was fired, the caliber of the bullet, the speed of the projectile and the range from which the shot was fired.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vehicle armour</span> High-strength plating used to fortify important vehicles against bullets, shells etc.

Military vehicles are commonly armoured to withstand the impact of shrapnel, bullets, shells, rockets, and missiles, protecting the personnel inside from enemy fire. Such vehicles include armoured fighting vehicles like tanks, aircraft, and ships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Body armor</span> Protective clothing; armor worn on the body

Body armor, personal armor, armored suit (armoured) or coat of armor, among others, is protective clothing designed to absorb or deflect physical attacks. Historically used to protect military personnel, today it is also used by various types of police, private security guards, or bodyguards, and occasionally ordinary citizens. Today there are two main types: regular non-plated body armor for moderate to substantial protection, and hard-plate reinforced body armor for maximum protection, such as used by combatants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bulletproofing</span> Provision for resisting fired bullets

Bulletproofing is the process of making an object capable of stopping a bullet or similar high velocity projectiles. The term bullet resistance is often preferred because few, if any, practical materials provide complete protection against all types of bullets, or multiple hits in the same location, or simply sufficient kinetic (movement) energy to overcome it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Small Arms Protective Insert</span> American military ballistic protection system

The Small Arms Protective Insert (SAPI) is a ceramic ballistic plate used by the United States Armed Forces. It was first used in the Ranger Body Armor and Interceptor Body Armor, both are ballistic vests. It is now also used in the Improved Outer Tactical Vest as well as the Modular Tactical Vest, in addition to commercially available "plate carriers". The Kevlar Interceptor vest itself is designed to stop projectiles up to and including 9×19mm Parabellum submachine gun rounds, in addition to fragmentation. To protect against higher-velocity rifle rounds, SAPI plates are needed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metal foam</span> Porous material made from a metal

In materials science, a metal foam is a material or structure consisting of a solid metal with gas-filled pores comprising a large portion of the volume. The pores can be sealed or interconnected. The defining characteristic of metal foams is a high porosity: typically only 5–25% of the volume is the base metal. The strength of the material is due to the square–cube law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ceradyne</span> Manufacturer of advanced ceramic systems

Ceradyne, Incorporated is a wholly owned subsidiary of the British company, Avon Rubber. Ceradyne, Inc. is a manufacturer of advanced ceramic systems and components and involved in many technical industries including nuclear power, oil and gas, solar energy, automotive, and defense. It is traded on the NASDAQ Stock Market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spaced armour</span> Armour with plates spaced a distance apart

Armour with two or more plates spaced a distance apart falls under the category of spaced armour. Spaced armour can be sloped or unsloped. When sloped, it reduces the penetrating power of bullets and solid shot, as after penetrating each plate projectiles tend to tumble, deflect, deform, or disintegrate; spaced armour that is not sloped is generally designed to provide protection from explosive projectiles, which detonate before reaching the primary armour. Spaced armour is used on military vehicles such as tanks and combat bulldozers. In a less common application, it is used in some spacecraft that use Whipple shields.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ballistic shield</span> Police and military anti-projectile shields

A ballistic shield, also called a tactical shield or bulletproof shield, is a protection device deployed by police, paramilitaries, and armed forces that are designed to stop or deflect bullets and other projectiles fired at their carrier. Ballistic shields also protect from less serious threats such as thrown items. Ballistic shields are similar to riot shields, but offer greater protection and are typically used by special units or in situations where riot shields would not offer adequate protection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ranger Body Armor</span> Military ballistic protection

Ranger Body Armor (RBA) is a US military-issue ballistic vest that was designed for, and used chiefly by, US Army 75th Ranger Regiment operators ("Rangers") in the 1990s and 2000s. The RBA system has since been replaced by other specialized body armor systems adopted by the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Improved Outer Tactical Vest</span> US Army body armor

The Improved Outer Tactical Vest (IOTV) is an enhanced version of, and a replacement for, the older Outer Tactical Vest (OTV) component of the Interceptor Multi-Threat Body Armor System, as fielded by the United States Army beginning in the mid-2000s. The IOTV is compatible with the Deltoid and Axillary Protector System (DAPS) components, ESAPI, Enhanced Side Ballistic Inserts (ESBI), as well as the OTV's groin protector. It has a flame-resistant standalone shirt, the Army Combat Shirt (ACS), designed specifically for use with the IOTV.

Ceramic armor is armor used by armored vehicles and in personal armor to resist projectile penetration through its high hardness and compressive strength. In its most basic form, it consists of two primary components: A ceramic layer on the outer surface, called the "strike face," backed up by a ductile fiber reinforced plastic composite or metal layer. The role of the ceramic is to (1) fracture the projectile or deform the projectile nose upon impact, (2) erode and slow down the projectile remnant as it penetrates the shattered ceramic layer, and (3) distribute the impact load over a larger area, which can be absorbed by ductile polymer or metallic backings. Ceramics are often used where light weight is important, as they weigh less than metal alloys for a given degree of resistance. The most common materials are alumina, boron carbide, and, to a lesser extent, silicon carbide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ukrainian Armor</span>

Ukrainian Armor is an arms dealer located in Kyiv, Ukraine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">6B45 ballistic vest</span> Standard issue armor of Russian army

6B45 is a standard ballistic vest of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. It is a part of Ratnik infantry combat system. It was adopted in 2014 as a replacement for the 6B23 vest. 6B45 vest has been developed by Techinkom company located in Saint Petersburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">6B5 "Ulej"</span> Sovet ballistic vest family

6B5"Ulej" is a bulletproof vest system created for the Soviet Armed Forces by NII Stali. The 6B5 was a system of several ballistic vests designed as a replacement for previous 6B3 and 6B4 body armor.

References

  1. ↑ "MEHLER vario system: P1C - Amok Armour extensions". m-v-s.de. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
  2. ↑ "Standalone Throat Armour Plate - NIJ Level III (3) + AK47".
  3. ↑ "Soft Armor". AA SHIELD. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
  4. ↑ "Interceptor Body Armor". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
  5. ↑ American Society of Composites (1999). American Society of Composites, Fourteenth International Conference Proceedings. CRC Press. p. 258. ISBN   1566767911.
  6. ↑ "SOCOM recalls thousands of SPEAR ballistic armor plates". Military Times. 2017-08-08. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
  7. ↑ "Tactical advantage: Russian military shows off impressive new gear". The Washington Times. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
  8. ↑ Tech. Sgt. Paul Dean (23 September 2005). "Airmen take steps to ensure body armor stays intact". United States Air Force . Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  9. ↑ "Osprey Mk 4 Body Armour User Care and Assembly Instructions" (PDF). Defence Equipment and Support. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 May 2014. Retrieved 8 March 2024. Visually check the faces of the Plate for cracks or damage. Cracks will be highlighted by a definite white line. Impacts will be visible as a white indentation and radiating fractures. [...] Damaged or Cracked Plates MUST be replaced. Minor blemishes or air pockets do not pose any risk.
  10. ↑ "The Best Steel Armor for your Bulletproof Vest". Caliber Armor. 2020-01-09. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
  11. ↑ "5.56 Punches Through Level III Body Armor" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMYkEMhPsO8
  12. ↑ "AR500". www.leecosteel.com. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
  13. ↑ "Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) In Protective Armor". OnlineSafetyDepot. 2021-12-01.
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