Modern Body armor clothing

Bodyarmor clothing, apart from airmen flak vests, has not been given much attention by the U.S. military throughout history.  This has been due to a combination of technology, money, and a lack of being “sexy”, or “digitized.”

The technology to develop effective body armor clothing that men are capable of actually moving around in has only come out in the last 20 years.  It must be remembered that the issue of body armor clothing is not only stopping a bullet, but also displacing 500 to 1000 foot pounds of bullet energy in such a manner that it won’t crush the upper torso and liquefy the innards of the wearer.

Materials Used by Body armor clothing

Kevlar and Spectra allow the ability to stop low energy rounds, usually up to about 44. Magnum caliber, but will still result in broken bones.  Developments in ceramics are what have made it possible to stop .30 caliber, and even one claim of .50 caliber Armor Piercing ammunition. The only drawback to ceramics are that they are rigid, which restricts mobility, are still relatively heavy (between 4 and 10 pounds per plate), and their method of dispersing energy from a round is by shattering, which makes each plate a one-shot deal.    

Concerns in Body armor clothing

The biggest problem with body armor clothing is getting sized comfortably.  The PASGT vest is very stiff and comes in “one-size-fits-all.”  This results in vests that are too big or too small, too long or too short, and the vest tends to shift around a lot while moving, especially when you put something like a ruck on.  They are very hot in the summer, but can be of some insulating value in the winter, as well as providing some back support with heavier loads.  Females with significant endowments can also encounter problems with Body Armor Jackets.

Body armor clothing Sizing for Female Soldiers

Accommodation of females in soft vest and plate female body armor clothing systems presents a unique set of design problems. Incorporating females into male-based systems may impose disproportionate protective and functional sacrifices on females.

Concerns for Female Body armor clothing

Body armor clothing issued by the U.S. Military doesn't fit female soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. "It can actually be painful because of the way the plates are shaped." Demand better equipment for our brave service women. Throughout history, military gear has been made with the male physique in mind. But for women in today's combat or close-to-combat jobs, that can mean body armor clothing that fits so poorly it's tough to fire a weapon, combat uniforms with knee pads that hit around mid-shin and flight suits that make it nearly impossible to urinate while in a plane.

Female troops are about 20 percent more likely than their male counterparts to report musculoskeletal disorders, and poorly fitting body armor clothing could be a factor. For female aviators, dehydration can be a hazard if they opt not to drink water before flights, and those who wait too long to use the bathroom can experience urinary problems.

Solution for Female Body armor clothing Concern

The Army is studying unisex armor plate designs, while the Air Force is investigating female-specific geometries. Teams from both services are using male and female torso curves from 3-D surface scans for front/back and side plate shape concepts.

Originally introduced with Interceptor body armor clothing, the current front/back ballistic plate shape known as the enhanced small arms protective insert or ESAPI, was designed for male Soldiers. Those designs have been maintained during the evolution of body armor clothing and the deployment of the improved outer tactical vest.

If this issue is a problem to soft body armor clothing, how much more in the hard body armor clothing level like when there is a need to wear ceramic Body Armor For Sale?

How Do You Test Body armor clothing?

Shoot it. Every type of body armor clothing must pass a set of military ballistics tests before it's distributed to soldiers. The exact requirements for passing these tests—how strong the armor must be, and in what conditions—are classified, according to an Army spokesman. (Vests worn by law-enforcement officers must undergo a similar process, laid out in a document published by the National Institute of Justice.)

Army Test

Army's report on the Dragon Skin tests, summarized here, reveals that testers started by measuring, weighing, and photographing the armor vests, and then taking a series of X-rays. Then they subjected the armor to a series of gunshots, at different angles and from various weapons.

The shooting part of an armor test takes place in two phases. In the "penetration and backface signature" phase, testers set the vest against a clay tablet and fire six rounds at specified locations, including spots over the heart and on the sides. After each round, they examine the dented clay to measure how deeply the bullet impacted the armor. The test for lighter armor requires shooting at four vests—six bullets to the front of each, six to the back—which makes 48 bullets in all. If any of them penetrate the vest or dent the clay more than 44 millimeters, the armor will be deemed unsafe.

Environmental Conditions also tested

Testers also simulate different environmental conditions. For example, they might shoot the vest after spraying it with water. For the Dragon Skin tests, the Army looked at a temperature range of minus 20 to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, plus a high-heat 160-degree condition. They also gauged the armor's strength at high altitude, and after soaking it in oil or salt water.

Who conducts these tests, anyway? Many armor manufacturers send their new products to one of the two major ballistics testing facilities, H.P. White and United States Test Laboratory. These places have standardized shooting ranges and camera systems that document the tests. (See video of the Dragon Skin tests here.) Vests intended for police also have to be approved by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center, which inspects for craftsmanship.

This is probably the question that most people will ask, can civilians buy body armor clothing? well, it depends on the law of your state.

You can always ask your Body Armor Distributors.

Why Wear Body armor clothing?

Why is body armor clothing needed? Read on.

Since the death of New York City Deputy Sheriff Isaac Smith in 1792, more than 15,000 officers have fallen in the line of duty—many of these men and women killed by firearms. The use of weapons of all types, particularly handguns, by those with criminal intent, poses a constant threat to police officers, whether they are responding to a domestic quarrel or to an armed robbery. All too frequently, a domestic disturbance erupts into violence when family members redirect their anger toward the officer attempting to affect a peaceful resolution. Similarly, a routine traffic stop can result in an unexpected armed confrontation. At times like these, an officer needs the protection provided by body armor clothing.

Logic dictates the routine use of body armor clothing. Still there are those who do not wear it regularly, often in spite of departmental regulations to do so. Those who do not wear armor usually claim that the bulk and weight of armor make it uncomfortable.

Threat (Body armor clothing)

The current generation of body armor clothing was developed specifically to protect against injury from assault with handguns. When an individual is hit by a bullet, the extent of the injury sustained depends on where the bullet strikes the body and the path or trajectory of the bullet into or through the body. Injury to the vital organs is most often fatal. Thus, the armor’s primary and most obvious purpose is to prevent a bullet from penetrating the torso.

Hard Body armor clothing

In the case of hard armor, such as metal, rigid reinforced plastic, or ceramic materials, it is possible to use armor of such a thickness that it does not appreciably deform from the bullet impact. If, however, the armor that covers the torso deforms from the bullet impact, the surface of the armor against the body at the point of impact will be forced against or into the skin. Unlike a penetrating wound, in which the skin is broken and the bullet tears through the body, the deformation of armor from bullet impact results in blunt trauma. This type of nonpenetrating injury can cause severe contusions (bruises) or internal damage and can even result in death. As a result, this NIJ standard also evaluates the capabilities of the armor to prevent injury from blunt trauma.

There are so many Body Armor Company.

NIJ Standards of Body armor clothing

If you do not know yet, there are types of body armor clothing that is organized by the National Institute of Body armor clothing – this is the arm organization of the Department of Defense in the United States. Here are the types of body armor clothing.

Soft Body armor clothing

NIJ LEVEL I: his armor protects against .22 caliber Long Rifle Lead Round Nose (LR LRN) bullets with nominal masses of 2.6 g (40 gr) impacting at a minimum velocity of 320 m/s (1050 ft/s) or less and 380 ACP Full Metal Jacketed Round Nose (FMJ RN) bullets with nominal masses of 6.2 g (95 gr) impacting at a minimum velocity of 312 m/s (1025 ft/s) or less.

NIJ LEVEL IIA: (Lower Velocity 9mm, .40 S&W). Level IIA body armor clothing is well suited for full-time use by police departments, particularly those seeking protection for their officers from lower velocity .40 S&W and 9mm ammunition.

NIJ LEVEL II: (Higher Velocity 9mm, .357 Magnum). Level II body armor clothing is heavier and more bulky than either Levels I or IIA. It is worn full time by officers seeking protection against higher velocity .357 Magnum and 9mm ammunition.

NIJ LEVEL IIIA: (.44 Magnum; Submachine Gun 9mm). Level IIIA body armor clothing provides the highest level of protection currently available from concealable body armor clothing and is generally suitable for routine wear in many situations. However, departments located in hot, humid climates may need to evaluate the use of Level IIIA armor carefully.

Hard Body armor clothing

NIJ LEVEL III:  (High-powered rifle). Level III body armor clothing is clearly intended only for tactical situations when the threat warrants such protection, such as barricade confrontations involving sporting rifles.

NIJ LEVEL IV: (Armor-piercing rifle). Level IV body armor clothing provides the highest level of protection currently available. Because this armor is intended to resist “armor piercing” bullets, it often uses ceramic materials. Such materials are brittle in nature and may provide only single-shot protection since the ceramic tends to break up when struck. As with Level III armor, Level IV armor is clearly intended only for tactical situations when the threat warrants such protection.

Other body armor clothing manufactures also sell Armor Panel.