Numerical and experimental analysis of the ballistic performance of soft bulletproof vests for women

Abstract

This article presents a comprehensive numerical and experimental analysis of the ballistic performance of soft bulletproof vests designed for women. The study involved a woman aged between 24 and 28 with a breast size of 85C. Two ballistic packages made from Twaron® CT 709 fabric were designed and constructed for her, featuring cut-and-sew formed breast cups and differing significantly in the number of layers (16 and 30 layers). The impact of the number of layers on breast deformation during the shooting was analyzed using numerical modeling and experiments, which included a Parabellum 9 mm × 19 mm FMJ® bullet and a Roma No. 1 plasticine substrate formed based on a plaster cast representing a woman’s figure. The research found that even significantly increasing the number of layers in the ballistic package did not lead to a substantial reduction in breast deformation during shooting. The likely reason for this is the cut-and-sew formed breast cups in the ballistic package, which easily undergo transverse deformation upon bullet impact. This suggests a need for further research to optimize the design of protective cups, which are crucial for proper force distribution and minimizing injuries during bullet impact. The conclusions drawn from this study could contribute to the development of more advanced and effective soft ballistic protection solutions for women.

Keywords

• female bulletproof vest
• breast cups
• parabellum 9 × 19 fmj bullet
• ballistic testing
• ls-dyna simulations
• breast deformation