Multiple Mechanism (MULTIMECH) Body Armor

Body armor used today is an achievement of modern science, constructed of high tensile strength, manmade fibers and ultra hard, impervious ceramics. As impressive as this armor is, however, one of the most critical areas of armor testing methodology has remained largely unchanged from its National Institute of Justice (NIJ) 0101.00 roots: back face signature (BFS). The somewhat arbitrary value of 44 mm for BFS into synthetic clay has done a reasonable job serving law enforcement, but a lower BFS would have a profound impact on improving the survivability and combat capability of military personnel. While there are many approaches for modifying the ceramic plate support material to help reduce back face signature, an alternative approach is to improve the ceramic plate"s forward facing support structures to defeat incoming threats. Damaging and deforming the nose of a projectileespecially important for armor piercing projectilesbefore it strikes the armor plating enables the existing ceramic technology to offer greater protection as well as a reduction in BFS. An armor system with the ability to quickly reduce the energy of an incoming projectile would have instant applicability to worn body armor.