Ballistic protective properties of material representative of English civil war buff-coats and clothing.

One type of clothing system used in the English Civil War, more common amongst cavalrymen than infantrymen, was the linen shirt, wool waistcoat and buff-coat. Ballistic testing was conducted to estimate the velocity at which 50% of 12-bore lead spherical projectiles (V) would be expected to perforate this clothing system when mounted on gelatine (a tissue simulant used in wound ballistic studies). An estimated six-shot V for the clothing system was calculated as 102 m/s.

Preliminary effect of projectile yaw on extremity gunshot wounding in a cadaveric animal model: a serendipitous study.

Gunshot wounding (GSW) is capable of causing devastating tissue injuries by delivering kinetic energy (KE) through the contact surface area of a projectile. The contact surface area can be increased by yaw, deformation and fragmentation, all of which may be caused by any intermediate layers struck by the projectile prior to entering its target. This study aims to describe whether projectile yaw occurring before penetration of a cadaveric animal limb model causes greater damage with or without clothing layers present using 5.

Ballistic research techniques: visualizing gunshot wounding patterns.

There are difficulties associated with mapping gunshot wound (GSW) patterns within opaque models. Depending on the damage measurement parameters required, there are multiple techniques that can provide methods of "seeing" the GSW pattern within an opaque model. The aim of this paper was to test several of these techniques within a cadaveric animal limb model to determine the most effective.

Shooting through windscreens: ballistic injury assessment using a surrogate head model-two case reports.

A synthetic head model developed to reproduce military injuries was assessed in two different scenarios involving shooting through intermediate targets (a laminated vehicle windscreen in scenario 1 and a military helicopter windscreen in scenario 2) with 7.62 × 39-mm mild steel core (MSC) ammunition. The injury patterns resulting from the two scenarios were assessed by a military radiologist and a forensic pathologist with combat injury experience and found to be clinically realistic.

The effect of military clothing on gunshot wound patterns in a cadaveric animal limb model.

The majority of injuries in survivors of gunshot wounds (GSW) are typically to the extremities. Novel wound ballistic research is encouraged to try and capture corporate knowledge on the management of these injuries gained during recent conflicts and understand the wounding patterns seen. With recent work examining the effect of UK military clothing on extremity GSW patterns in a synthetic model, a model with greater biofidelity is needed for ballistic testing.

UK military helmet design and test methods.

The aim of this paper was to provide the military medical community with an expert summary of military helmets used by HM Armed Forces. The design of military helmets and test methods used to determine the fragmentation and non-ballistic impact protection are discussed. The helmets considered are Parachutist, Combat Vehicle Crewman, Mk6, Mk6A, Mk7 and VIRTUS.

Effects of police body armour on overmatching ballistic injury.

Overmatching occurs when body armour that has been designed to resist perforation by a specified projectile is perforated by a greater threat. This may result in wounding to the body armour wearer. In this work, overmatching of two types of police body armour was studied using two types of ammunition.

The effect of military clothing on gunshot wounding patterns in gelatine.

With no two gunshot wounds (GSW) being the same, novel research into wound ballistics is challenging. It is evident that the majority of previous wound ballistic research has been conducted without the presence of clothing. Whilst the effect of clothing on wound contamination has been explored, there is a paucity of literature examining the effect of clothing on GSW patterns.

A preliminary study into injuries due to non-perforating ballistic impacts into soft body armour over the spine.

The UK Home Office test method for ballistic protective police body armours considers anterior torso impacts to be the worst-case scenario and tests rear armour panels to the same standards as front panels. The aim of this paper was to examine the injuries from spinal behind armour blunt trauma (BABT) impacts. This study used a cadaveric 65 kg, female pig barrel and 9 mm Luger ammunition (9 × 19 mm, FMJ Nammo Lapur Oy) into HG1/A + KR1 soft armour panels over the spine.

Assessment of polyurethane spheres as surrogates for military ballistic head injury.

SYNBONE® spheres were impacted with 7.62 × 39 mm mild steel core ammunition at a mean impact velocity of 654 m/s, SD 7 m/s, to simulate engagement distances of around 50-100 m. The wounds and fracture patterns were assessed by two forensic pathologists familiar with military cranial injury.

Forensic reconstruction of two military combat related shooting incidents using an anatomically correct synthetic skull with a surrogate skin/soft tissue layer.

Six synthetic head models wearing ballistic protective helmets were used to recreate two military combat-related shooting incidents (three per incident, designated 'Incident 1' and 'Incident 2'). Data on the events including engagement distances, weapon and ammunition types was collated by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory. The models were shot with 7.

Ballistic impacts on an anatomically correct synthetic skull with a surrogate skin/soft tissue layer.

The aim of this work was to further develop a synthetic model of ballistic head injury by the addition of skin and soft tissue layers to an anatomically correct polyurethane skull filled with gelatine 10% by mass. Six head models were impacted with 7.62 x 39 mm full metal jacket mild steel core (FMJ MSC) bullets with a mean velocity of 652 m/s.

The effect of helmet materials and simulated bone and tissue layers on bullet behaviour in a gelatine model of overmatch penetrating head injury.

The aim of this work was to simulate an overmatch ballistic event against a head wearing a helmet. The experiments were designed to understand how layers of bone (or synthetic bone), synthetic skin and currently used helmet materials influence the behaviour of full metal jacket mild steel core (FMJ MSC) 7.62 × 39 mm bullets, impacting on targets with a mean velocity of 650 m/s.

Drip bloodstain appearance on inclined apparel fabrics: Effect of prior-laundering, fibre content and fabric structure.

The interaction of blood and fabrics is currently a 'hot topic', since the understanding and interpretation of these stains is still in its infancy. A recent simplified perpendicular impact experimental programme considering bloodstains generated on fabrics laid the foundations for understanding more complex scenarios. Blood rarely impacts apparel fabrics perpendicular; therefore a systematic study was conducted to characterise the appearance of drip stains on inclined fabrics.

A systematic review of military head injuries.

Introduction: This commissioned review discusses military head injuries caused by non-ballistic impacts, penetrating fragments and bullets (including parts of bullets) and behind helmet blunt trauma (BHBT).

Method: A systematic review of the literature was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses method. The openly accessible literature was reviewed to investigate military head injuries and their severity.

Systematic investigation of drip stains on apparel fabrics: The effects of prior-laundering, fibre content and fabric structure on final stain appearance.

Bloodstain pattern analysis is the investigation of blood deposited at crime scenes and the interpretation of that pattern. The surface that the blood gets deposited onto could distort the appearance of the bloodstain. The interaction of blood and apparel fabrics is in its infancy, but the interaction of liquids and apparel fabrics has been well documented and investigated in the field of textile science (e.

Clothing increases the risk of indirect ballistic fractures.

Background: Current literature has shown the mechanism of how indirect fractures occur but has not determined what factors increase the risks of such fractures. The objective of this study is thus to determine the effect of clothing and soft tissue thickness on the risk of indirect fracture formation.

Methods: Twenty-five fresh red deer femora embedded in ballistic gelatine were shot with varying distances off their medial cortex with a 5.

Is behind armour blunt trauma a real threat to users of body armour? A systematic review.

Introduction: Behind armour blunt trauma (BABT) has been defined as a non-penetrating injury caused by the rapid deformation of body armour. There has been an increasing awareness of BABT as an injury mechanism in both the military and civilian worlds; whether BABT results in serious injuries is debatable.

Method: A systematic review of the openly accessible literature was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses method to investigate those injuries classified as BABT and their severity.

Remote ballistic fractures in a gelatine model--aetiology and surgical implications.

Background: Remote ballistic femoral fractures are rare fractures reported in the literature but still debated as to their existence and, indeed, their treatment. This study aimed to prove their existence, understand how they occur and determine which ammunition provides the greatest threat. In addition, fracture patterns, soft tissue disruption and contamination were assessed to aid in treatment planning.

An integrated approach towards future ballistic neck protection materials selection.

Ballistic protection for the neck has historically taken the form of collars attached to the ballistic vest (removable or fixed), but other approaches, including the development of prototypes incorporating ballistic material into the collar of an under body armour shirt, are now being investigated. Current neck collars incorporate the same ballistic protective fabrics as the soft armour of the remaining vest, reflecting how ballistic protective performance alone has historically been perceived as the most important property for neck protection. However, the neck has fundamental differences from the thorax in terms of anatomical vulnerability, flexibility and equipment integration, necessitating a separate solution from the thorax in terms of optimal materials selection.

Damage to apparel layers and underlying tissue due to hand-gun bullets.

Ballistic damage to the clothing of victims of gunshot wounds to the chest can provide useful forensic evidence. Anyone shot in the torso will usually be wearing clothing which will be damaged by the penetrating impact event and can reportedly be the source of some of the debris in the wound. Minimal research has previously been reported regarding the effect of bullets on apparel fabrics and underlying tissue.

Interpreting the formation of bloodstains on selected apparel fabrics.

Bloodstain pattern analysis (BPA) is the investigation and interpretation of blood deposited at crime scenes. However, the interaction of blood and apparel fabrics has not been widely studied. In this work, the development of bloodstains (passive, absorbed and transferred) dropped from three different heights (500, 1,000, 1,500 mm) on two cotton apparel fabrics (1 × 1 rib knit, drill) was investigated.

Methods for characterizing plant fibers.

The effectiveness of different microscopy techniques for measuring the dimensions of ultimate fibers from harakeke (Phormium tenax, New Zealand flax) was investigated using a factorial experimental design. Constant variables were geographical location, location of specimens along the leaf, season (winter), individual plant, a fourth leaf from a north-facing fan, age of plant, and cultivars (two). Experimental variables were microscopy techniques and measurement axis.