Interlocking Body Armor Spacers for Custom Fit and Impact Damping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing body armor systems face challenges in providing customizable fit and comfort, particularly for female wearers, due to issues such as tilting and discomfort caused by hard plates, inadequate support for side plates, and potential enlargement of ballistic windows, which can lead to back face deformation and injury.
Innovation Solution
A wearable energy absorbing and dispersing spacer system comprising interlocking spacer panels with protuberances and concavities that are stackable and adaptable to fit the wearer's body shape, providing customizable support and orientation for armor plates or panels, while maintaining stability and absorbing impact forces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a hard armored plate is fitted to a female wearer, then protection against ballistic threats is provided, but the plate tilts and causes discomfort by pressing into the abdomen
Solution Approach 1:
A spacer element is introduced as an intermediary component between the hard armored plate and the female wearer's body. The spacer has a first surface contacting the plate and a second surface contacting the wearer, mediating the interface to distribute pressures and eliminate tilting while maintaining ballistic protection
Solution Approach 2:
The spacer element is designed with non-uniform thickness, being thicker at the upper portion and thinner at the lower portion. This local variation in geometry allows the spacer to accommodate the female torso shape, prevent plate tilting, and eliminate abdominal pressure while maintaining overall structural integrity
2Ease of operation
If a spacer element is placed between the armor plate and the wearer's rib cage, then pressure on the breasts is reduced, but the ballistic window is enlarged
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer element features localized thickness variation with the upper portion being thicker to relieve breast pressure and the lower portion being thinner to minimize ballistic window enlargement. This non-uniform geometry allows simultaneous achievement of comfort and ballistic protection
3Shape
If the lower edge of the plate follows a line toward the pelvis to fit the female torso, then the plate conforms to the body shape, but the lower edge presses into the abdomen causing discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer element acts as a mediator between the plate and the abdomen, decoupling the plate's structural orientation from direct contact with the abdominal surface. The spacer's compliant material distributes the plate's weight and prevents concentrated pressure on the abdomen while maintaining proper plate alignment
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The spacer system enhances comfort and fit by customizing the position and orientation of armor plates, reduces back face deformation, and maintains stability against lateral forces, ensuring effective protection and comfort for various body shapes.
Implementation Method 1
Energy absorbing and dispersing standoff spacer system and method for use with body armor plate or panel
Data Source
AI summary
A wearable energy absorbing and dispersing standoff spacer, system, and method for use or incorporation with an armor plate or panel, and/or a carrier for the same, uses one or more spacer panels having features that interlock to form a stack having a desired standoff thickness and resilient compressibility for absorbing and dispersing forces exerted thereagainst from ballistic impacts to reduce traumatic effect on a wearer while limiting lateral displacement of the spacer particularly under lateral forces, and that is readily and easily adaptable to provide customizable support, positioning, and orientation for the armor plate or panel, and fit and comfort for the wearer, particularly female wearers.