The design and assessment of bio-inspired additive manufactured stab-resistant armour

Abstract

The performance of modern fibre-based or polycarbonate armour has significantly improved since their introduction, providing protection against a range of low- and high-velocity threats. While this is so, users of such armour frequently report of issues relating to their operational suitability resulting in impaired performance and physiological effects. Recently, researchers have focused on how naturally occurring protective mechanisms could be utilised to enhance the protective and operational performance of wearers of engineered body armour. The research presented within this paper therefore utilises a series of key design characteristics exhibited within naturally occurring elasmoid scale armour, coupled with established laser sintering manufacturing parameters, for the realisation and assessment of a scale-based stab-resistant armoured structure to internationally recognised test standards.

Keywords

• body armour
• stab resistance
• selective laser sintering
• computer-aided design
• bio-inspiration