Table 1 - uploaded by Alina Popescu
Content may be subject to copyright.
Size of bulletproof vest
Context in source publication
Context 1
... data of the pilot sample, selected as needed to design the bullet proof vest for cup sizes with the highest frequency, was subjected to statistical analysis by calculating averages on both the total sample and the representative sample of each type of cup. Table 1. The functional model of bulletproof vest was developed for size S cup A, in accordance with anthropometric measurements of this size. ...
Similar publications
Citations
... HGM is a good material to use when creating lightweight composite materials since it has a low density, low thermal conductivity, and good resistance to compression loads. Carbon fiber is one of the composite materials whose properties are influenced by the shape and direction of the constituent fibers (Toma et al., 2016). Carbon fibre has a high specific modulus and specific strength and a high tensile modulus and strength at high temperatures; at room temperature, carbon fiber is not affected by moisture, solvents, acids, or bases. ...
Women are becoming more active in the defense industry. Since the morphology of the female body differs from that of the male during military activities, it is required to modify personal protection equipment to accommodate the female body shape. According to a literature review, a survey of a sample of female soldiers from different nations revealed that they felt the impacts of breast soreness when running, as well as a sense of "distorted breasts" and breathing difficulties. The woman's petite frame and the bulky, hefty bulletproof jacket both draw criticism for their respective dimensions. Using 3D design technology, a female mannequin with a 95B breast size was scanned in order to create a bullet-proof vest that is tailored to the contour of a woman's body. Changes in the breast's contour, which affect changes in the surface point parameters, result in adaptive breasts. Utilizing a combination of carbon fiber and 16% HGM epoxy, bullet-proof vests can be modified to provide lightweight dimensions and have the benefit of good ballistic resistance. This results in a material that is 20 mm for thick, 1,348 kg in weight, and capable of absorbing 348.27 Joules of energy from bullets. The results of this research are not optimal, so developments are needed in further research.
... Previous studies have shown that a majority of female soldiers express dissatisfaction with the fit of their current body armor systems. 9,123 This dissatisfaction was revealed through questionnaire responses from 147 female Australian Defence Force (ADF) soldiers in combat and non-combat positions. Among the surveyed women, 68% reported that their body armor was ill-fitting, 56% found it to be too large, and 12% felt it was too small. ...
This paper highlights a comprehensive review of the design, performance, and ergonomics of women’s body armor. Body armor is an essential part of defending people in high-risk areas, such as law enforcement officers, military personnel, and security employees. Traditional body armor, however, has typically been designed with male users in mind, ignoring the anatomical and physiological variations between men and women. This review intends to draw attention to the problems with women’s body armor and offer information on new developments made to solve these problems. It addresses several topics, including anatomical and physiological differences, challenges and limitations of traditional female body armor, materials used for female body armor, design considerations for female body armor, performance evaluation, and future directions and recommendations.
... Body armor design is generally reserved for men, but Toma et al. [162] have carried out something different by improving the fit and performance of bulletproof vests on women. Some designs and analyses are presented in Figure 28. ...
... The steps to develop the virtual functional model were as follows: (a) 2D pattern design from the data in the model dimension table and correlation with the actual size of the bulletproof vest using OPTITEX's Pattern Design Software; (b) simulation of the functional model of the bulletproof vest on an avatar using Optitex 3D Suite Software; (c) evaluating the fit of the product on the body, such as the distance between the textile material and the body surface, the tension developed in the textile material, and its orientation using 3D software functions such as tension scale and technical characteristics of material [162]. ...
... Simulation of the vest developed from the ballistic package 1 on the avatar. (a) and (b) checking the aspect of the vest front/back, (c) and (d) checking the matching body product, (e)-(g) 3D visualization of the vest as a mesh of triangles[162]. ...
Antiballistics are used as personal protective equipment required by military and police personnel. They have been mentioned frequently in recent decades due to the increasing cases of war. Several studies have reviewed the development of antiballistic technology. However, there needs to be more discussion on and systematic reviews of the current milestones of antiballistic materials, testing, and procedures. In addition, compared to other fields, antiballistic studies are rarely carried out by public researchers because research on weapons is still a sensitive topic. Researchers who want to discuss antiballistics must cooperate with the country's defense and security agencies. This article aims to present a summary on and the development of scientific research on the theoretical concept of impact, the experimental approach for ballistic tests on advanced materials, the idealization of ballistic tests in computational mechanic simulations, and milestones of technical apparatus for ballistic performance measurement, over a period of more than 500 years. Thus, this analysis makes an excellent contribution to the field of antiballistics. This article review is based on hundreds of international journals and websites that are still active and can be accounted for legally. The results show that research related to antiballistics will continue to grow yearly.
... Previous research has revealed that most female soldiers are dissatisfied with the fit of their current body armour systems (Epstein et al., 2013;Toma et al., 2016;Coltman et al., 2020Coltman et al., , 2021aDavis et al., 2020). Specifically, questionnaire data related to the fit of body armour was completed by 147 female Australian Defence Force (ADF) soldiers in both combat and non-combat roles. ...
... A primary source of poor body armour fit for female soldiers is how it is sized and designed (Epstein et al., 2013;Toma et al., 2016;Coltman et al., 2020Coltman et al., , 2021aMalbon et al., 2020). Although several anthropometric surveys have been conducted on global soldier populations to inform the design and sizing of protective equipment, military body armour is commonly issued to soldiers in a limited, unisex sizing range (Todd, 2007). ...
... Although several anthropometric surveys have been conducted on global soldier populations to inform the design and sizing of protective equipment, military body armour is commonly issued to soldiers in a limited, unisex sizing range (Todd, 2007). Moreover, the dimensions and specifications of body armour systems are traditionally based upon male anthropometric data (Todd, 2007;Epstein et al., 2013;Toma et al., 2016). This is likely a function of body armour primarily being designed for combat soldiers. ...
This study aimed to provide normative data characterising the torsos and breasts of female soldiers and to determine which torso and breast anthropometric measurements contributed to reports of poor body armour fit. Ninety-seven female Australian Army soldiers completed a questionnaire about their experience with current-issue body armour, including perceptions of fit. Participants also attended a single testing session where we took a three-dimensional scan of their breasts and torso and collected several anthropometric measurements to characterise their torso size and shape. Sixteen of the 22 breast and torso measurements collected were significantly related to the perceived fit of current-issue body armour systems. To improve perceptions of fit for female soldiers and, in turn, reduce movement interference, discomfort, and barriers to occupational performance, future body armour systems should cater to the wide range of female breast and torso shapes and sizes.
... Recent increases in the body size of military personnel (e.g. in Australia (Tomkinson et al., 2009), Canada (Keefe et al., 2012), and the U.S. (Knapik et al., 2018) appear to have coincided with changes in body proportions (Tomkinson et al., 2010(Tomkinson et al., , 2017, which collectively create additional challenges for maintaining a current and effective uniform sizing scheme (Keefe et al., 2017). An increasing number of women in Army combat roles also has implications for integrating the female body shape into clothing and equipment that was originally designed for male operators (Coltman et al., 2020;Keefe et al., 2012;Toma et al., 2016). Accurate and up-to-date anthropometric measurements are required to maintain optimal sizing systems. ...
Aim
To determine how well decision tree models can predict tailor-assigned uniform sizes using anthropometry data from the New Zealand Defence Force Anthropometry Survey (NZDFAS). This information may inform automatic sizing systems for military personnel.
Methods
Anthropometric data from two separate samples of the New Zealand Defence Force military were used. Data on Army personnel from the NZDFAS (n = 583) were used to develop a series of shirt- and trouser-size prediction models based on decision trees. Different combinations of physical, automatic, and post-processed measurements (the latter two derived from a 3D body scan) were trialled, and the models with the highest cross-validation accuracy were retained. The accuracy of these models were then tested on an independent sample of Army recruits (n = 154).
Results
The automated measurement method (measurements derived automatically by the body scanner software) were the best predictors of shirt size (58.1% accuracy) and trouser size (61.7%), with body weight and waist girth being the strongest predictors. Clothing sizes that were incorrectly predicted by the model where generally one size above or below the tailor-predicted size.
Conclusions
Anthropometry measurements, when used with decision tree models, show promise for classifying clothing size. Methodological changes such as fitting gender-specific models, using additional anthropometry variables, and testing other data mining techniques are avenues for future work. More research is required before fully automated body scanning is a viable option for obtaining fast and accurate clothing sizes for military clothing and logistics departments.
... Despite the increasing number of women in military organisations worldwide, military body armour has traditionally been designed and sized based upon the anthropometric dimensions of male soldiers (Epstein et al. 2013;Todd 2007;Toma et al. 2016). Female soldiers, however, typically have different anthropometric dimensions compared to their male counterparts, including smaller torsos and larger breasts (Edwards et al. 2014). ...
... Current body armour, however, is not sex-specific, with the same range of body armour allocated to both male and female soldiers. Unsurprisingly, unisex body armour has been shown to be too large or otherwise incompatible with the torso shape of many female soldiers (Coltman, Brisbine, et al. 2020;Epstein et al. 2013;Todd 2007;Toma et al. 2016). Indeed, previous studies investigating issues pertaining to unisex ballistic vests issued to female police officers have identified a host of fit, integration and comfort-related problems, including incongruence between the ballistic vest and an officer's bra, a lack of space for breasts and uncomfortable lateral protrusion of breast tissue (Adams, Slocum, and Keyserling 1994;An 2010;Barker and Black 2009;Fowler 2003;Niemczyk, Arnold, and Wang 2020). ...
This study investigated whether female soldiers experience bra integration or breast discomfort/injuries related to body armour use and whether these issues were associated with breast size. Ninety-seven Australian Defence Force female soldiers completed a questionnaire and had their breast volume assessed (range: 91–919 ml/breast) using three-dimensional scanning. Twenty-two percent (n = 21) of participants reported integration issues between their bra and body armour, 63% (n = 61) reported breast discomfort while wearing body armour and 27% (n = 26) reported experiencing a breast injury related to wearing body armour. Although bra-body armour integration was not dependent upon breast size, female soldiers with medium-large breasts reported significantly more breast discomfort and injuries when using body armour compared to participants with small breasts. These findings highlight the importance of developing body armour systems that cater to the range of breast sizes of female soldiers in order to improve bra-body armour integration and reduce breast discomfort and injury.
Practitioner Summary: This exploratory research provides evidence of bra integration issues, breast discomfort and breast injury experienced by female soldiers when wearing body armour. Given the growing representation of women in military organisations, strategies to alleviate these issues for female users of body armour, particularly those with larger breast sizes, are required.
... Body armour systems provide passive protection to vital thoraco-abdominal organs against ballistic, fragmentation, and stab threats (Choi et al., 2016;Laing and Jaffrey, 2019). As the historic design and development of body armour has focused primarily on male soldiers (Todd, 2007;Epstein et al., 2013;Toma et al., 2016), it has been suggested that the body armour available to female soldiers might not always fit and conform to the female physique and may be too large for female soldiers (Harman et al., 1999;Toma et al., 2016). Ensuring body armour is well-fitted and conforms closely to a soldier's body shape is important given that the protective benefits of body armour are thought to be reduced if the system is poorly fitted (Todd, 2007;Toma et al., 2016). ...
... Body armour systems provide passive protection to vital thoraco-abdominal organs against ballistic, fragmentation, and stab threats (Choi et al., 2016;Laing and Jaffrey, 2019). As the historic design and development of body armour has focused primarily on male soldiers (Todd, 2007;Epstein et al., 2013;Toma et al., 2016), it has been suggested that the body armour available to female soldiers might not always fit and conform to the female physique and may be too large for female soldiers (Harman et al., 1999;Toma et al., 2016). Ensuring body armour is well-fitted and conforms closely to a soldier's body shape is important given that the protective benefits of body armour are thought to be reduced if the system is poorly fitted (Todd, 2007;Toma et al., 2016). ...
... As the historic design and development of body armour has focused primarily on male soldiers (Todd, 2007;Epstein et al., 2013;Toma et al., 2016), it has been suggested that the body armour available to female soldiers might not always fit and conform to the female physique and may be too large for female soldiers (Harman et al., 1999;Toma et al., 2016). Ensuring body armour is well-fitted and conforms closely to a soldier's body shape is important given that the protective benefits of body armour are thought to be reduced if the system is poorly fitted (Todd, 2007;Toma et al., 2016). Research conducted on American male soldiers (n = 40) reported that wearing body armour that was one size too big was associated with increased exposure at the neck and underarm regions when compared to the soldiers wearing body armour that was one size too small or the correct fit (Choi et al., 2018a). ...
Design and development of contemporary military body armour has traditionally focused primarily on male soldiers. As the anthropometric body dimensions of male and female soldiers differ, we aimed to determine whether current body armour was meeting fit and functional requirements of female soldiers. One-hundred and forty-seven female Australian Defence Force soldiers completed a 59-item questionnaire regarding the fit and function of current body armour. Most (68%) participants reported wearing ill-fitting body armour, which was associated with increased total musculoskeletal pain and discomfort, as well as pain at the shoulders, abdomen, and hips. Body armour that was too large was more likely to interfere with task performance when it was integrated with a combat belt, as well as when female soldiers performed operationally representative tasks. Modifying body armour design and sizing to cater to the anthropometric dimensions of female soldiers is recommended.
... The area covered by a bulletproof vest is the range in which the body can be protected. However, the unfit bulletproof vest impacts the fit of the clothing and the mobility of the user (L az aroaie et al., 2017;Sabol et al., 2014;Toma et al., 2016). The right clothing and equipment are of vital importance to the survival and effectiveness of military personnel (D aboliņa et al., 2017). ...
... However, the average body size, weight, fat and muscle composition of men and women are different. To develop a fit bulletproof vest for women becomes a task in itself (Toma et al., 2016). Since while a woman wears an inappropriate bulletproof vest, its excessive weight may increase her risk of falling (Burton, 2018). ...
... The 3D scan is now more commonly used to conduct detailed anthropometric surveys of military personnel in many countries to obtain more precise and detailed dimensions or measurements of the human body. Countries having used the 3D scan in military uniforms are as follows: Taiwan (Shih et al., 2014), America (Gordon et al., 2014), UK (Breeze et al., 2016a, b;Tyrrell, 2007), Canada (Shu et al., 2015), China (Wang et al., 2018), India (Vaidya et al., 2009), Koren (Lee et al., 2013), Romania (L az aroaie et al., 2017;Toma et al., 2016), Latvia (D aboliņa et al., 2017), etc. These related studies provide a benchmark for comparison of human body measurement data in different countries; some of these studies are also used as reference data for the design of clothing, masks, etc. ...
Purpose
Combining the collected human body variables by a 3D body scanner and the research results of medical computed tomography (CT) imaging, this research aims to develop a military bulletproof vest that is both protective and fit. In particular, the protective part must be able to cover the vital human internal organs completely. The results of this research help to make military bulletproof vests of different sizes for Taiwanese male and female soldiers. At the same time, the research results can provide a reference for the industry of making special-purpose clothing.
Design/methodology/approach
17 important human body variables of 988 participants (male: 716, 72.5%; female 272, 27.5%) are used for the analysis. The K -means algorithm firstly builds clusters of different body shapes for both sexes; the silhouette coefficient helps to determine the optimal number of clusters to be six. Thus, the standard size of the bulletproof vest for soldiers is determined. The specifications of the bulletproof vest's inner core and textile vest are calculated for each cluster user. Our research then makes twelve prototypes of the bulletproof vest. After that, 12 subjects are invited to try on the new version (the vest designed in this study) and the old version (the vest currently used) to contrast the differences between the two.
Findings
According to the index of the silhouette coefficient, the optimal number of clusters is determined to be six for both male and female clusters. Therefore, this study has designed six sizes of the bulletproof vest for male and female soldiers in Taiwan. After trying the new and old vests on, the subjects all indicate that the new vest fits better than the old one. In addition, the coverage of the bulletproof vest designed in this study is 94.38% for male users and 92.75% for female users.
Originality/value
The design of bulletproof vests must take note of the fit of the clothing itself and its protective function. Apart from the size design of general clothing only focusing on the human shape exteriorly, the bulletproof vest also needs to pay attention to the relative positions of vital organs inside the human body. Besides, for practical applications, it is quite effective to use the silhouette coefficient to determine the results of cluster analysis. Thus, the value of this research lies in the cross-field combination, enabling the integration of body measurement, data science and clothing design. Generally, bulletproof vests of newly designed sizes can meet the requirements of Taiwan's military. The research results can be used in the development of various military clothing for Taiwanese military personnel. At the same time, the results can be provided to the clothing industry as relevant parameters for designing unique functional clothing.
... Boussu and Bruniaux (2012) claimed that the shape of the ballistic vest should resemble the shape of the body for effective body protection, and actually designed and manufactured a 3D bulletproof vest. Toma et al. (2016) tried to make a bulletproof vest considering Romanian women's body shape and breast cup size. Abtew et al. (2018) produced a soft body armor that takes into account of the female body shape using 3D virtual avatar and dome formation process. ...
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a system to design a bulletproof pad for chest protection using three-dimensional body scan data.
Design/methodology/approach
Body data were divided into arbitrary number of groups based on the standard normal distribution theory, considering the width and height of the upper body. Several parameters were used to define the cover area of the bulletproof pad, and the shape of this area of each model in a group was averaged to generate the standard bulletproof pad model for that group.
Findings
It is possible to use three-dimensional body scan data in the design process of a mass-customized bulletproof pad for chest protection.
Practical implications
It is expected that it would be possible to design not only bulletproof pad but also many kinds of body-related products that need to reflect the shape of body using the methodology developed in this study.
Social implications
Using this system, the mass customization of special garments and equipment would be possible, which will improve the wearers’ comfort and work efficiency.
Originality/value
Three-dimensional body measurement, parametric definition of cover area and user interface for shape modification developed in this study will facilitate the consumer-oriented product design.
Despite female soldiers representing a growing user population, military body armour systems are currently better suited to the anthropometric dimensions of male soldiers. The aim of this study was to explore issues that female soldiers experience with current Australian Defence Force (ADF)-issue body armour. Following a sequential exploratory design, an initial questionnaire was completed by 97 Australian female soldiers. Subsequently, 33 Australian female soldiers participated in one of three focus groups. Descriptive statistics of questionnaire data considered alongside thematic analysis of focus group transcripts revealed problems with the design (fit, form and function) of current ADF-issue body armour, as well as problems with the issuance and education surrounding use of the system. It is recommended that anthropometric data of female soldiers be better incorporated into future body armour designs, that these data inform processes surrounding both acquisition and issuance of body armour and that training protocols for body armour use be reviewed.
