Protective Equipment and Body Armour Technology: An Overview

Body armor is a critical safety technology designed to protect individuals from threats by absorbing and distributing impact energy. While traditional designs prioritized durability and protection, modern body armor focuses on comfort and mobility across diverse operational environments without compromising safety.

Image Credit: Sergey Nemirovsky/Shutterstock.com

Design Perspectives

Designing effective body armor involves several engineering and ergonomic challenges. The goal is to achieve maximum ballistic protection while ensuring the armor remains lightweight, flexible, and comfortable.

Traditionally, design required a trade-off between protection, cost, and weight; however, modern body armor design has become more nuanced, factoring in thickness, ergonomic fit, and overall comfort to achieve a better balance between performance and wearability.

A key challenge in body armor development is reducing weight without sacrificing protection, as lightweight armor is crucial for mobility and minimizing fatigue in intense situations.

While advanced materials like ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) and ceramics help achieve this balance, it becomes increasingly difficult at higher threat levels, where heavier materials are required to stop rifle bullets or armor-piercing rounds effectively. In addition, these high-performance materials often come at a premium, necessitating a balance between affordability and effectiveness.

Comfort is also crucial, as poorly fitting armor can impede movement, cause overheating, and lead to musculoskeletal strain, reducing operational effectiveness. This is particularly significant for females, as unisex armor often fails to account for anatomical differences, highlighting the need for tailored designs that accommodate varying body shapes while ensuring adequate protection and comfort.^1,2,3

Technological Advancements

Body armor technology has evolved significantly due to advancements in materials science. Traditional steel armor has been replaced by materials like aramid fibers (e.g., Kevlar), UHMWPE, and composite ceramics, which offer superior protection while remaining lightweight. These materials absorb and disperse projectile energy to prevent penetration and blunt force trauma.⁴

Integration of Nanomaterials

Nanomaterials, particularly carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene, represent a major advancement in ballistic protection.

Composites with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) have demonstrated an 11.1% increase in ballistic limit and a 6.5% improvement in projectile resistance. Hybrid laminates combining Kevlar and carbon fiber layers with CNTs show even greater improvements, with a 67.48 % increase in energy absorption and a 28.7 % enhancement in ballistic limit.

Graphene has also shown promise, with a single layer capable of absorbing twice the impact of conventional bulletproof fabrics. Multilayer graphene (10-100 nm thick) requires approximately ten times more energy to penetrate than steel sheets at 600 m/s, while two-layer graphene films on silicon carbide provide excellent protection while being significantly thinner than human hair.⁵

Smart Textiles in Body Armor

Smart textiles represent the latest frontier in body armor innovation, able to respond dynamically to external stimuli such as impacts and temperature changes.

These textiles incorporate phase change materials (PCMs) for temperature regulation and moisture-wicking properties, significantly improving user comfort and breathability during extended wear.

A key advancement in this area is using shear-thickening fluids (STFs), which maintain flexibility under normal conditions but harden upon impact. This effectively reduces peak force by 66 % while allowing for mobility.

TenCate Advanced Armor USA provides smart body armor options that utilize sensor technology from Newport Sensors, allowing users to inspect the ballistic integrity of their armor in real time. This innovation enhances safety and survivability for military and law enforcement personnel while addressing challenges like damage detection in extreme environments, offering a vital tool for improved operational readiness.⁶

Discover More: The Role of Embedded Sensors in Smart Textiles

Current Applications of Body Armor

Body armor and protective equipment are applied across various sectors, each with specific requirements and technological adaptations.

Military

Body armor is crucial in military settings for protection against ballistic projectiles, shrapnel, and stab wounds. Modern military armor uses a dual-layer approach, combining soft armor for low-velocity protection with hard armor—such as metallic plates, ceramic tiles, and polyethylene—to withstand projectile impacts at velocities exceeding 500 m/s.⁵

Recently, Donghua University scientists engineered spider silk fibers using genetically modified silkworms, achieving a remarkable six-fold increase in toughness compared to conventional bulletproof vests. This breakthrough has the potential to revolutionize protective gear, making it stronger and lighter.⁷

Law Enforcement

For law enforcement, body armor primarily guards against handguns and melee weapons, leading to the widespread use of soft armor vests that provide daily protection while allowing for enhanced mobility in high-risk environments.

Agencies are increasingly adopting advanced armor solutions, such as the Kevlar Exo system, which provides 30-40 % greater strength than traditional body armor while maintaining flexibility.

This innovation is particularly beneficial for female officers, as it addresses ricochet concerns through improved body conformity. It also serves first responders and security personnel who require reliable protection without compromising mobility.^8,9

Sports

The sports sector has adapted body armor technology to meet specific athletic demands, particularly in high-impact sports like racing, mountain biking, and football.

Modern protective gear uses advanced materials, such as viscoelastic compounds, to absorb and distribute impact energy, protecting vital areas while allowing flexibility and unrestricted movement.

A prominent example is the Nucleon Plasma protection line by Alpinestars, which employs viscoelastic thermoset compounds to achieve CE Level 2 Certified resistance, making it suitable for motorcycle protection and other high-performance applications.¹⁰

San Diego State University researchers recently developed 3D-printed composite helmets inspired by cuttlefish bone, equipped with built-in sensors for real-time impact monitoring. These smart protective systems not only enhance collision protection but also provide crucial data for coaches and medical staff to make informed decisions about player safety.¹¹

Challenges and Future Directions

Despite advancements in body armor technology, fundamental challenges remain in balancing protection, mobility, and comfort.

Lighter, more flexible designs improve movement but may compromise protective capabilities, while increased protection often leads to heavier, more cumbersome armor that limits mobility. Thermal management also remains critical, though smart textiles and phase change materials are being explored to enhance temperature regulation, improving comfort during prolonged wear.

Researchers are now focusing on reactive and adaptive body armor technologies that adjust properties in real time and integrate with wearable technology, emphasizing materials and manufacturing techniques that adapt to individual body shapes while maintaining consistent protection levels.^1,4,5

More from AZoM: Polymer Informatics: Current and Future Developments

References and Further Reading

1. Elgohary, DH. (2024). Technological aspects of body armour textiles for ballistic protection application. The Journal of The Textile Institute. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405000.2024.2343162
2. Coltman, C., Brisbine, B., Molloy, R., Ball, N., Spratford, W., Steele, J. (2021). Identifying problems that female soldiers experience with current-issue body armour. Applied Ergonomics. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apergo.2021.103384
3. Watson, CH. (2011). Ergonomics, design and reliability of body armour. [Online] Cranfield University. Available at: https://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/items/00616d2e-60ce-4377-9ab1-dc4555b8e10a
4. Shi, J., Li, H., Xu, F.,Tao, X. (2021). Materials in advanced design of personal protective equipment: A review. Materials Today Advances. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtadv.2021.100171
5. Abtew, MA., Boussu, F., Bruniaux, P. (2021). Dynamic impact protective body armour: A comprehensive appraisal on panel engineering design and its prospective materials. Defence Technology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dt.2021.03.016
6. Burton, S. (2014). TenCate acquires Smart Body Armor technology from Newport Sensors. [Online]. Available at: https://www.bodyarmornews.com/tencate-acquires-smart-body-armor-technology-newport-sensors/
7. Mi, J., Zhou, Y., Ma, S., Zhou, X., Xu, S., Yang, Y., Sun, Y., Xia, Q., Zhu, H., Wang, S., Tian, L., Meng, Q. (2023). High-strength and ultra-tough whole spider silk fibers spun from transgenic silkworms. Matter. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matt.2023.08.013
8. Orr, R., Schram, B., Pope, R. (2018). A Comparison of Military and Law Enforcement Body Armour. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15020339
9. PoliceMag. (2024). First Look: Next-Generation Kevlar. [Online] PoliceMag. Available at:https://www.policemag.com/patrol/article/15682872/first-look-nextgeneration-kevlar
10. Alpinestars HQ. (2024). Alpinestars Announces Spring 2024 Protection with New Plasma Production Technology. [Online] PB.com. Available at: https://www.pinkbike.com/news/alpinestars-introduces-plasma-protection-technology-engineered-for-maximum-performance-and-improved-sustainability.html
11. Slane, T. (2024). Engineering a smart and robust protective body armor. [Online]. San Diego State University. Available at: https://www.sdsu.edu/news/2024/01/engineering-a-smart-and