Comparison of Backing Materials used in the Testing of Ballistic Protective Body Armour

Poster presented at the 2018 Defence and Security Doctoral Symposium.The ballistic testing of personal body armour against a standard (NIJ, HOSDB, VPAM etc) has typically been performed with the armour mounted on a block of Roma™ Plastilina No1. This artists' modelling clay enables the deformation of non-perforated armour due to the impact to be measured and compared against a requirement (typical 25 or 44mm back face signature).However, whilst Roma™ Plastilina No 1 has enabled comparative testing of body armour, and has a proven record in terms of lives saved, it does not provide a biofidelic response to the impact, which may be impeding the development of lighter and more ergonomic armour solutions.To aid in the development of alternative backing materials for the testing of ballistic protective armour, a comparison trial was conducted comparing the response of three different backings, Roma™ Plastilina No 1, 10% (by mass) gelatine and a man-made synthetic material (SEBS) to a ballistic impact on a body armour.This poster presents the method, results and reviews the data.