Bulletproofing
Bulletproofing is the process of making an object capable of stopping a bullet or similar high velocity projectiles (e.g. shrapnel). The term bullet resistance is often preferred because few, if any, practical materials provide complete protection against all types of bullets, or multiple hits in the same location, or simply sufficient kinetic (movement) energy to overcome it.
Origins
In 1887,
Another example was the killing of Billy Grounds by Assistant City Marshal Billy Breakenridge. Goodfellow examined Grounds and found that two buckshot grains had penetrated his Mexican felt hat band, embroidered with silver wire, penetrating his head and flattening against the posterior wall of the skull. Another of the grains had passed through two heavy wool shirts and a blanket-lined canvas coat and vest before coming to rest deep in his chest. However, Goodfellow was fascinated to find two shotgun pellets in the folds of a Chinese silk neckerchief around Grounds' neck but no holes or wounds.[1][2]
He also described a wound to
Invention and design
In 1887, Goodfellow wrote an article for the Southern California Practitioner titled "Notes on the Impenetrability of Silk to Bullets".
Bullet designs vary widely, not only according to the particular firearm used (e.g. a
Bullet-resistant materials (also called ballistic materials or, equivalently, anti-ballistic materials) are usually rigid, but may be supple. They may be complex, such as
Uses
Bullet-resistant body armor has been in use since about 1984. When law enforcement began wearing body armor, there was a dramatic drop in officer deaths, saving over 3,000 lives.[citation needed]
The National Institute of Justice first developed standards for ballistic resistant body armor in the 1970s. The standards have been revised five times since 1984. The National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center tests body armor to assess its compliance with the standards and publishes the results.[9] There are many applications for bulletproofing, some of which include:
Classification
There are various tests which items must pass before being classified as bullet-resistant. These tests specify the detailed characteristics of bullets which the material or object must be resistant to. For example, the U.S. National Institute of Justice standard 0104.04 for bullet-resistant vests specifies that a Type II vest must not deform clay representing the wearer's body when hit by an 8.0 g (124 gr) 9 mm caliber round nosed full-metal jacket bullet travelling at up to 358 m/s (1175 ft/s); but a Type IIIA vest is needed for protection against the same bullet traveling at up to 427 m/s (1400 ft/s). In both cases, the vest is not required to protect against a second hit within 51 mm (2 inches) of the first.[10]
References
- ^ The Prescott Courier. pp. 3–5.
- ^ a b c "Dr. George Goodfellow". Archived from the original on 20 December 2014. Retrieved 8 March 2013.
- ISBN 978-0595001279.
- ^ "Silk as Bullet Proof". The Tombstone Epitaph. April 3, 1882. p. 2. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
- ^ G.E. Goodfellow (January 1887). J.P. Widney; Joseph Kurtz; Walter Lindley (eds.). "Notes on the Impenetrability of Silk to Bullets". Southern California Practitioner. Los Angeles: Stroll and Thayer. 2 (1).
- ^ Hollington, Kris. "Staying Alive". Archived from the original on 3 May 2007. Retrieved 4 March 2013.
- ISBN 9781429986809. Retrieved 2013-03-17.
- ^ Air Force scientists study artificial silk for body armor, parachutes
- ^ "Ballistic". JustNet. National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
- U.S. Department of Justice. Archived from the original(PDF) on March 13, 2008. Retrieved March 26, 2015.