Body Armour fabrics & construction

GARMENT FABRICS

Covert
Historically has been Cotton or Polyester/Cotton - (Wash, dry and iron).
New fabrics used now include synthetic materials which are cooler than cotton as
they will not contain the moisture as cotton does, are lighter in weight and wash easily and dry quickly.

Overt
Nomex High cost - Fire resistant - Low abrasion resistance.
Flame retardant Cotton Poor abrasion resistance - Treatment will wash out.
Nylon Best for abrasion - Rot and Mildew resistance -
Easy cleaning - Waterproof.

V50 FRAGMENTATION
Fragment resistant - is not bullet resistant.
Used for military applications and fabric testing.


ANTI-BALLISTIC FABRIC
Weave style is very important.
If woven too dense - too much damage to the yarn will decrease performance.
If woven too loose - not enough filaments encounter the projectile.
Plain weave gives more cross-over points - best performance.
Tenacity of fibres and filament count has an influence on ballistic performance.
Fabric weights - Vest to NIJ Level II-A
Type Weight Layers Weight sq m
Standard Aramid fabrics 280 g/sq m 18 5.04 kg/sq m
HT/KT Aramid fabrics 220 g/sq m 21 4.62 kg/sq m
LT Aramid fabrics 127 g/sq m 28 3.55 kg/sq m
Dyneema/Spectra 155 g/sq m 26 4.03 kg/msq m

NUMBERS OF LAYERS

Depending on protection level and fabric style from 7-50 layers.
Yarn manufacturers recommendations.
Weavers quality in weaving.
Own ballistic testing.
May use Aramid or Polyethylene or a combination of both.
Aramid has best projectile stopping properties and is flexible.
Polyethylene has good trauma absorption properties - but is very stiff.

LABELLING

NIJ Standard 0101.04 requires:
Listing of protection level.
Must be tested by an approved Ballistic Testing Laboratory.
Disclosure of all fabric contents.
Anti-Ballistic Material - 100% Aramid Fibre, 100% Polyethylene, etc.
Panel Cover - Nylon, etc.
Garment - Polyester/Cotton, Nylon. etc.
Washing and care instructions.

In Australia all clothing articles must comply with Australian Standards where applicable and these may differ from the US Standards listed in the NIJ
Standard 0101.03.
AS2450 Textile and Man Made Fibres - Generic Names
AS2622 Fibre Content Labelling
AS1957 Care Labelling of Clothing
AS2392 Labelling of Clothing
AS1954 Sizes Designation Scheme