GB2124887A - Protective shield - Google Patents

Abstract

The shield which can be adapted for wear as a garment is intended to be used in front of a person's body to protect the person from injury by a bullet or other missile approaching in direction A. It has an outer water-proof cover 2, a layer of sheet plastics 4 which can be high impact absorbing plastics, and a mass 12 of layers 8 of woven aramic fabric stitched together. A layer 6 of woven aramid fabric can be bonded to sheet 4, the layer 6 being more loosely woven than at least some of the layers 8. The shield also has another layer 20 of aramid fabric and a trauma pack 14 of felt 16 and bonded resinated layers 18 of aramid fabric. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Protective shield This invention relates to a protective shield.

The invention particularly but not exclusively concerns shield which are sometimes referred to as "bullet proof" in the sense that they either stop the passage of a bullettherethrough or exhibit a strong resistance to its passage and also stop or resist passage of other missiles, for example fragments of metal or other hard material.

Protective shield, which may be in the form of garments, are known in which a plurality of layers of textile fabric closely woven from aramid fibre are used. When a bullet strikes these fabric layers it usually experiences a high resistance causing the nose ofthe bulletto deform into a mushroom shape thus increasing the resistance. But occasionally a bullet, particularly one travelling obliquely, may impinge on the outerfabric layer at an interstice in the weave and burrow through possibly to an interstice of the weave of the nextfabric layer and soon and thus considerably penetrate or pass through the shield without extensively deforming the nose. Therefore the person the shield is intended to protect may be injured by a bulletwhich if it had struckthe yarns ofthe fabric more squarely would have been stopped.

An objectofthe invention isto provide a protective shield comprising woven fabric of aramid fibres in which the aforesaid disadvantage is avoided or at least mitigated.

According to the invention a protective shield to be used in front of a person's body to protectthe person from injury buy a bulletor other missile comprises at least one layer of plastics sheet material and a plurality of layers of woven fabric formed from aramid fibres, in which in use the plastics sheet is on that side of the aramid fabric layers which faces away from the person's body.

When a bullet or other swiftly moving missile strikes the sheet plastics the instantaneous dissipation of the bullet's kinetic energy in the form of heat melts the plastics atthe point of impact causing interstices in the fabric behind the sheet to become blocked or at least obstructed with fused plastics from the sheet. Thus notwithstanding any retarding effectthatthe sheet plastics may have, the chance ofthefabric layers stopping orsubstantially retarding the bulletis increased, since conditions causing mushrooming of the nose are improved by obstructions provided by the melted plastics.

The sheet plastics may have an integral continuous form.

The sheet plastics can be of high impact absorbing plastics, for example: Rigid P.V.C. (polyvinyl chloride) which may be about 0.5 mm thick and may be the rigid P.V.C. sold underthetrade mark "PACTON" by Imperial Chemical Industries P.L.C.; or A.B.S. (acrylonitrile butacdiene styrene) which may be about 1.5 mm thick; or Polycarbonate.

One or more second layers ofwoven aramid fabric may be disposed between the plastics sheet and the first mentioned fabric layers.

The first fabric layers may bewholly or mainly of closely woven fabric.

When there is one second fabric layerthat layer may be of a less closely woven aramid fabric which may be loose from the plastics sheet or be bonded thereto.

It appears such less closelywoven fabric encour- ages the nose to mushroom. If there is at least one further second fabric layer, this may be of closely woven or of the less closely woven fabric and may be attached or bonded to the fabric layer adjacent the plastics sheet.

Between the first mentioned fabric layers and the person's bodyatrauma packorcushioning may be interposed. The trauma pack may comprise felt, for example a needle punch felted nylon, which may be stifforsoft, andlor a plurality of third layers of resinatedfabric,forexamplea plurality of layers of woven aramid fabric bonded by resin. These resinated layers may be disposed between the felt and the first layers.

One or more fourth layers of woven aramid fabric may be disposed between the felt and the person's body.

If desired other bullet resisting material, for example ballistictiles andlor metal plates, may be included between the plastics sheet and trauma pack.

The material may be formed into a garment or body covering forwear, for example a vest, which may be of two or more parts for detachable attachment about the wearer.

The whole of the composite material may be included within an outer cover of, for example a nylon fabric, which may be waterproof.

The aramidifabrics used may be (1) a closely woven fabric sold by Fothergill & BR< Harvey Ltd. undertheir reference D235 made from fibres of KEVLAR 29 (Trade Mark of Du Pont) the fabric having a plain weave and weighing about 279 gm/m2, and being about 0.38 mm thick, the warp and weft ends being each about 12.2/cm andtheyarn used of about 1110 decitex, and (2) a less closely woven fabric also sold by other gill & Harvey Ltd. under their reference D208 made from fibres of KEVLAR 49 (Trade Mark of Du Pont) the fabric having a plain weave and weighing about 218 gm/m2 and being about 0.33 mm thick, the warp and weft ends being each about 6.7/cm, and the yarn used of about 1580 decitex.

The invention will now befurtherdescribed by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing diagrammatically showing a fragment of a protective shield formed according to the invention.

In the drawing an outerwaterproof cover which may be of a woven nylon fabric is shown at 2 and a layer of sheet plastics which is continuous is shown at4.

Bonded to sheet 4 is a layer 6 of aramid fabric preferably of KEVLAR 49. However layer 6 may be loose from the sheet 4. One or more other layers of aramid fabric of KEVLAR 29 or49 may be disposed at the side 6a ofthe layer 6 and may be attached thereto.

Further layers8ofaramid fabric are provided and may be stitched (as shown at 10) together to form a mass 12. The layers 8 may all be formed of KEVLAR 29 ora minority may be KEVLAR 49. There may be at least seven layers 8 though there may be more depending on the bullet stopping power desired.

Atrauma pack is shown at 14, this comprises a layer 16 offeltand bonded resinated layers 1 8 of fabric of KEVLAR 29.

Afurther layer 20 of KEVLAR 29 fabric may be provided.

It is intended that a shield formed of the material will be disposed so that side S1 faces a person's body and side S2 faces opposite the direction A of approaching bullets and missiles.

CLAIMS (filed on 20/6183) 1. A protective shield to be used in front of a person's bodyto protect the person from injury by a bullet or other missile comprising at least one layer of plastics sheet material and a plurality of layers of woven fabric formed from aramid fibres, in which in use the plastics sheet material is on that side of the aramid fabric layers which faces away from the person's body.

2. Ashield as claimed in claim 1, in which the sheet plastics is of integral continuous form.

3. A shield as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, in which the sheet plastics material is of high impact absorbing plastics.

4. A shield as claimed in claim 3, in which the plastics sheet material is rigid polyvinylchloride, or acrylonitride butadiene styrene, or polycarbonate.

5. Ashield as claimed in any one preceding claim in the aramid fabric layers comprise first layers and at least one second layer disposed between the first layers and the plastics sheet material and said second layer is less closely woven than at least one ofthe first layers.

6. A shield as claimed in claim 5 in which said second layer is next to the plastics sheet material.

7. A shield as claimed in claim5 or claim 6, in which the second layer is bonded to the plastics sheet material.

8. Ashield as claimed in any one preceding claim in which at least a number of the aramid fabric layers is disposed between the sheet plastics material and a cushioning arrangementortrauma pack.

9. A shield as claimed in claim 8 in which the cushioning arrangement ortrauma pack is formed with felt.

10. Ashield as claimed in claim 8 or claim 9, in which the cushioning arrangement or trauma pack is formed with a plurality of bonded resinated layers of woven aramid fabric.

11. Ashield as claimed in any one of claim 8to 10 in which at least one ballistic tile and/or metal plate is/are disposed between the plastic sheet material and the cushioning arrangementortrauma pack.

12. A shield as claimed in any one preceding claim, having an outer waterproof cover.

13. Ashield as claimed in claim 12,inwhichthe cover is of nylon fabric.

14. A shield as claimed in any one preceding claim adapted forwear as a garment.

15. A protective shield to be used in front of a person's bodyto protect the person from injurybya bullet or other missile, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (15)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. In the drawing an outerwaterproof cover which may be of a woven nylon fabric is shown at 2 and a layer of sheet plastics which is continuous is shown at4. Bonded to sheet 4 is a layer 6 of aramid fabric preferably of KEVLAR 49. However layer 6 may be loose from the sheet 4. One or more other layers of aramid fabric of KEVLAR 29 or49 may be disposed at the side 6a ofthe layer 6 and may be attached thereto. Further layers8ofaramid fabric are provided and may be stitched (as shown at 10) together to form a mass 12. The layers 8 may all be formed of KEVLAR 29 ora minority may be KEVLAR 49. There may be at least seven layers 8 though there may be more depending on the bullet stopping power desired. Atrauma pack is shown at 14, this comprises a layer 16 offeltand bonded resinated layers 1 8 of fabric of KEVLAR 29. Afurther layer 20 of KEVLAR 29 fabric may be provided. It is intended that a shield formed of the material will be disposed so that side S1 faces a person's body and side S2 faces opposite the direction A of approaching bullets and missiles. CLAIMS (filed on 20/6183)

1. A protective shield to be used in front of a person's bodyto protect the person from injury by a bullet or other missile comprising at least one layer of plastics sheet material and a plurality of layers of woven fabric formed from aramid fibres, in which in use the plastics sheet material is on that side of the aramid fabric layers which faces away from the person's body.

2. Ashield as claimed in claim 1, in which the sheet plastics is of integral continuous form.

3. A shield as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, in which the sheet plastics material is of high impact absorbing plastics.

4. A shield as claimed in claim 3, in which the plastics sheet material is rigid polyvinylchloride, or acrylonitride butadiene styrene, or polycarbonate.

5. Ashield as claimed in any one preceding claim in the aramid fabric layers comprise first layers and at least one second layer disposed between the first layers and the plastics sheet material and said second layer is less closely woven than at least one ofthe first layers.

6. A shield as claimed in claim 5 in which said second layer is next to the plastics sheet material.

7. A shield as claimed in claim5 or claim 6, in which the second layer is bonded to the plastics sheet material.

8. Ashield as claimed in any one preceding claim in which at least a number of the aramid fabric layers is disposed between the sheet plastics material and a cushioning arrangementortrauma pack.

9. A shield as claimed in claim 8 in which the cushioning arrangement ortrauma pack is formed with felt.

10. Ashield as claimed in claim 8 or claim 9, in which the cushioning arrangement or trauma pack is formed with a plurality of bonded resinated layers of woven aramid fabric.

11. Ashield as claimed in any one of claim 8to 10 in which at least one ballistic tile and/or metal plate is/are disposed between the plastic sheet material and the cushioning arrangementortrauma pack.

12. A shield as claimed in any one preceding claim, having an outer waterproof cover.

13. Ashield as claimed in claim 12,inwhichthe cover is of nylon fabric.

14. A shield as claimed in any one preceding claim adapted forwear as a garment.

15. A protective shield to be used in front of a person's bodyto protect the person from injurybya bullet or other missile, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.