Bulletproof vest

A bullet-resistant vest (body armour or body armor (U.S.)) - is an article of protective clothing that works as a form of armour to minimize injury from projectiles fired from handguns, shotguns and rifles . They are commonly worn by police forces, the military, and private security and civilians where legal. However, they have sometimes been misused by criminals.

Related Topics:
Protective clothing - Armour - Projectile - Handgun - Shotgun - Rifle - Police - Military

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The term "bulletproof" is a misnomer since these vests (depending on their armor level, see below) may provide little or no protection against rifle ammunition or even against handgun ammunition fired from a pistol-caliber carbine. The exception is the common .22 LR ammunition, which can usually be stopped by these vests even when fired from a rifle. These vests are usually protective against handgun ammunition fired from handguns (once again, depending on their armor level.)

Related Topics:
Misnomer - Rifle - Ammunition - Handgun - Carbine - .22 LR

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However, vests may be augmented with metal (steel or titanium), ceramic or polyethylene plates that provide extra protection to vital areas. These "trauma plates" have proven effective against all handgun bullets and some rifles, if the bullet actually hits the plate. These types of vests have become standard in military use, as advances in ballistic technology have rendered Kevlar-only vests ineffective - the CRISAT NATO standard for body armour specifies the use of titanium backing. Some vests are also designed to protect against knife attacks as well. This is done by coating the outer surface of the vest with tiny crystals of a sandpaper-like material or placing a very thin plate of resin hardened glass-fibre sheet between the kevlar layers. This is important for the safety of law enforcement and prison guard personnel.

Related Topics:
Steel - Titanium - Ceramic - Polyethylene - Kevlar - CRISAT - NATO - Sandpaper

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A vest does not protect the wearer by deflecting a bullet. Instead, the individual layers of material catch the bullet and spread its force over a larger portion of the body, deforming the round and hopefully bringing it to a stop before it can penetrate into the body. While a vest can prevent a bullet from penetrating, the wearer can still be affected by the momentum of the bullet ("blunt trauma"), with results ranging from bruises to serious internal injuries.

Related Topics:
Force - Momentum

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