The use of finite element models for backface deformation and body armour design: a systematic review

Comput Methods Biomech Biomed Engin. 2023 Nov 14:1-23. doi: 10.1080/10255842.2023.2281275. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTWhile injuries sustained from body armour backface deformation (BFD) have not been well-documented in military injury trauma registries, data from US law enforcement officers, animal tests and currently available data pertaining to military combatants has shown that BFD can not only cause minor injuries, but also result in serious trauma. However, the nature and severity of injuries sustained depends on a multitude of factors including the projectile type, the impact location and velocity, and the specific type of body armour worn. The difficulties involved in current measurement techniques for ballistic testing has led researchers to seek alternative techniques to evaluate the level of protection from body armour, such as the finite element (FE) method. In the current study, a systematic review of the open literature was undertaken using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses methodology. The aim was to summarise the literature pertaining to the development and application of FE models to investigate body armour BFD and behind armour blunt trauma (BABT), and included FE models representing the projectile, clay-based mediums, ballistic gelatine and the human torso. Using the keywords 'behind armour*', 'ballistic blunt trauma', 'BABT', 'backface signature', 'backface deformation', 'BFS', 'BFD', 'wound ballistic', 'ballistic im...
Source: Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering - Category: Biomedical Engineering Authors: Source Type: research