ABSTRACT
The flexible soft body armors are preferable for their performance and the advantages against the hard ones in the thought of their low weight, comfort and the wearer mobility. The optimal design of an armor system should balance three conflicting characteristics: efficient protection, mobility, and comfort. The armor comfort is affected by all the parameters that influence both protection performance and mobility. The mechanism of failure of the armor under bullet impact was investigated taking into consideration the theories of strain propagation under bullet impact and the effect of weave structure in the case of single and multilayer armor structures. The effect of some parameters on the ballistic velocity are given. In some armor designs, the hard plates are used as an insert in the flexible armor to increase its protection capacity. The designs of such inserts are illustrated. A recommendation to enhance the ballistic penetration resistance of woven fabrics is given.
