Experimental model and simulant for studying blast penetrating injury to the skin.

Energised fragments from explosions are the most common wounding mechanism in conflicts and terrorist attacks. Skin covers the vast majority of the human body and is therefore the first anatomical component to be penetrated by fragments, however, its resistance to penetration largely has not been taken into account in models of injury. In this study, an experimental model for ballistic testing of skin is established and a suitable skin simulant for studying resistance to penetration is determined.