Introduction
The police and military risk their lives to ensure that ordinary people can be safe and sound. Often, police and safety personnel find themselves in situations where additional safety is necessary to protect their bodies from bullet shots, wounds, stabs, or any other sudden attack. That is where the concept of vests comes in. Vests provide additional protection in situations where there is direct harm to one’s physical abilities and organs. Historically, women and men wore the same kind of body armour. However, it is now that there is specially designed and made body armour for women observing how they need extra protection for their chest. Please continue reading to learn about the different aspects of body armour and how they prove to be helpful in the military and police fields.
Things you should know about body armour.
- Bullet stopping fabric: Body armour consists of fine fibres that are intertwined together such that they are incredibly effective in preventing shots. There are two kinds of bulletproof armour- soft and hard. A soft body armour protects against bullets that have a low velocity. However, bullets that come out of rifles are hard tipped that can only be stopped by hard body armour. Soft body armour is flexible and allows for more movement, made of a high strength synthetic fibre. Hardbody armours take a form of a rigid plate that strictly reduces flexibility. As would rightly go, hard armour is heavier and harder to wear and carry than soft armour.
- Armour gets old: It is not about how long the armour has been with you, but the amount of application it has been subjected to that determines its remaining life. It is the amount of usability that causes the armour to be worn out. Most bulletproof armours would require replacement after a maximum of 5 years. The ballistic panels on the armour are responsible for its strength. Check them usually for cuts, tears, or creases. An armour that is utilized daily will lose its strength earlier than an armour that is worn occasionally.
- Stab protective armour: Stab resistant vests are made of even more densely packed materials. They are stiffer and more rigid. Stab protective armour can either be worn over or underneath standard clothing, and they protect against stabs on the front, back and sides.
- Trauma rating: The closer the bullet reaches your body through a vest, the higher the chances of physical trauma. The efficiency of a vest is calculated by the amount of physical trauma it causes. The more the trauma, the less is the efficiency. The trauma factor is calculated depending upon how fast the bullet’s kinetic energy dissipates across the vest instead of being aimed towards your body. More the dissipation, lesser would be the harmful impact.
- Armour is not skintight: Ideal and effective armour are never skintight. It is rigid and provides protection but does not rest tightly on your body. There is adequate space between the torso and the armour fitting. The vest should be such that it lets you breathe and does not hinder physical movement like walking and running.
