Bulletproof vests mainly consist of two parts: the vest cover and the bulletproof layer. The vest cover is usually made of synthetic fibers. The bulletproof layer is made of materials such as metals (special steel, aluminum alloy, titanium alloy), ceramic sheets (boron carbide, silicon carbide, alumina), fiberglass, nylon (PA), Kevlar, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber (HUMWPE), liquid protective materials, and polyimide fiber (PI), forming a single or composite protective structure. The bulletproof layer absorbs the kinetic energy of bullets or shrapnel, providing significant protection against low-velocity bullets or shrapnel, and can reduce damage to the chest and abdomen under controlled indentation conditions. Bulletproof vests include infantry bulletproof vests, flight personnel bulletproof vests, and artillery bulletproof vests. They can also be categorized by appearance, such as bulletproof vests, full-protection bulletproof vests, and women's bulletproof vests.
The cushioning layer dissipates impact kinetic energy and reduces non-penetrating damage, and is usually made of materials such as closed-cell knitted composite fabric and soft polyurethane foam. Bulletproof inserts are plates that enhance the protective capabilities of bulletproof layers, primarily used to protect against direct rifle fire and high-velocity shrapnel.
Bulletproof vests are categorized by user:
① Infantry bulletproof vests. Equipped for infantry, marines, etc., to protect against injuries from various fragments.
② Special personnel bulletproof vests. Primarily used for special missions. Based on infantry bulletproof vests, they add neck, shoulder, and abdominal protection, increasing the protected area; the front and back have insert pockets for inserting bulletproof plates, improving bulletproof performance.
③ Artillery bulletproof vests. Primarily used by artillery personnel in combat, protecting against shrapnel and shockwave damage.
Bulletproof vests are also categorized by structural materials:
1.Soft bulletproof vests. The bulletproof layer is generally made of multiple layers of high-strength, high-modulus fiber fabric with quilted stitching or direct lamination. When bullets or shrapnel penetrate the bulletproof layer, directional shear, tensile damage, and delamination occur, thereby dissipating their energy.
2.Hard-body bulletproof vests. The bulletproof layer is typically made of metal materials, laminates of high-strength, high-modulus fiber-reinforced composite materials formed under heat and pressure, or composite panels of bulletproof ceramics and high-strength, high-modulus fibers. Bulletproof layers using metal materials primarily dissipate projectile energy through metal deformation and fragmentation. Bulletproof layers using high-strength, high-modulus fiber laminates dissipate projectile energy through delamination, puncture, resin matrix rupture, fiber pull-out, and breakage. Bulletproof layers using bulletproof ceramics and high-strength, high-modulus fiber composite panels dissipate most of the projectile's energy when a high-speed projectile collides with the ceramic layer; the ceramic layer fragments or cracks, and the energy spreads outwards from the point of impact, consuming most of the projectile's energy. The high-modulus fiber composite panel then further dissipates the remaining energy.
3.Hard-soft composite bulletproof vests. The outer layer uses hard bulletproof materials, while the inner lining uses soft bulletproof materials. When bullets or shrapnel strike the outer layer of a bulletproof vest, both the bullet/shrapnel and the hard outer layer deform or break, dissipating most of the energy. The soft inner lining absorbs and diffuses the remaining energy of the bullet/shrapnel, acting as a buffer and reducing non-penetrating damage.
Origin:
In 1538, the mercenary leader, Duke Francesco Maria de la Rovere, commissioned Filippo Negroli to make a bulletproof vest.
In 1561, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II is recorded to have tested the gunfire resistance of his armor.
Similarly, in 1590, Henry Lee of Duchley expected his Greenwich armor to "resist pistol fire." However, its actual effectiveness was controversial at the time.
During the English Civil War, Oliver Cromwell's cavalry were equipped with lobster-tail armor and musket-resistant breastplates, which consisted of two armor plates. The outer armor plates were designed to absorb the energy of a bullet, while the thicker inner armor plates prevented further penetration. This armor could be severely penetrated but remained usable.
One of the earliest commercially available bulletproof armors was produced in the 1840s by a tailor in Dublin.
Another type of soft bulletproof vest-the Myeonje baegab-was invented on the Korean Peninsula in the 1860s, around the time of the French expedition to Korea in 1866. At that time, ten layers of cotton fabric were sufficient for bulletproof protection. This vest was used during the American expedition to Korea in 1871.
Development: Body armor evolved from ancient armor.
During World War I, special forces and a small number of infantrymen in the United States, Germany, and Italy used steel breastplates.
In the 1920s, the United States developed a bulletproof vest made of overlapping steel plates.
In the early 1940s, the United States and some Western European countries began developing body armor made of alloy steel, aluminum alloy, titanium alloy, fiberglass, ceramics, nylon, and other materials.
In the 1960s, the U.S. military adopted body armor made of high-strength synthetic aramid fiber (Kevlar fiber) developed by DuPont, which offered good ballistic protection, was lightweight, and comfortable to wear.
In the early 21st century, the U.S. military used the "Interceptor" body armor in Iraq, featuring a modular design and using KM2 high-strength aramid synthetic fiber as the ballistic layer material. Since the late 1950s, the People's Liberation Army of China has successively developed and equipped itself with fiberglass body armor, high-strength special steel body armor, high-strength high-modulus polyethylene body armor, and ceramic body armor. With the development of science and technology, bulletproof vests will utilize higher-performance bulletproof materials, reducing weight, improving bulletproof effectiveness and wearing comfort, and further achieving modular structure, variety, and style serialization.
Bulletproof Standards There are many bulletproof standards, and while their definitions are similar in principle, they do not completely correspond one-to-one due to differences in national calibers and testing methods. When comparing specific standard levels from two different systems, the kinetic energy of the tested caliber should be the primary criterion.
United States - NIJ 0101.06
The most popular, comprehensive, widely cited, and widely recognized standard internationally is NIJ 0101.06, the "Ballistic Protection Standard for Body Vests," commonly referred to as the NIJ standard.
United Kingdom - HOSDB Body Armour Standards for UK Police (2007)
The Home Office Science Development Branch (HOSDB) is the main body of the UK Home Office responsible for technical matters related to home security.
There were also tests on special bullets:
Russian-GOST Standard
China standard-GA141
China's bulletproof standards are divided into six levels, generally written as: GA1, GA2, GA3, GA4, GA5, and GA6.
The predecessor to these standards, GA 141-1996 "General Technical Conditions for Police Bulletproof Vests," was China's earliest bulletproof vest standard. Later, GA 141-2010 "General Technical Conditions for Police Bulletproof Vests" was introduced in the same series of standards.
Comparison of bulletproof standards in various countries
In terms of initial kinetic energy, the highest protection level among current body armor standards is Level 6 in the Russian GOST 34286-2017 standard. The tested projectile was a 12.7×108 mm all-metal steel-jacketed armor-piercing incendiary round with a projectile mass of 48.2 g and an initial kinetic energy of 16,602 J, significantly higher than the initial kinetic energy of projectiles tested in other standards. Next are RF3 in the US NIJ 0101.07 standard and Level IV in NIJ 0101.06, both using .30-06 all-metal copper-jacketed armor-piercing rounds with dimensions of 7.62×63 mm, a projectile mass of 10.7 g ± 0.1 g, and an initial kinetic energy of 4,124–4,163 J. The highest protection level 6 test ammunition for the Chinese GA 141-2010 standard is the Type 53 7.62×54 mm all-metal steel-jacketed pointed steel-core bullet fired from the Type 79/85 sniper rifle. The bullet mass is 9.6 g, and the initial kinetic energy of the projectile is 3,307 J.
