Andrew Wiggin
New member
Part 2 in my attempt to find a repeatable, affordable, serviceable open source armor design. Bear in mind, this is just a proof of concept. The goal here was to determine whether:
Link to test
The takeaway here is that yes, all the design criteria listed above were met. Next test will also use three PEI grade 4 tiles but will test a steel backer instead of HDPE. The reason is that HDPE is cheaper and lighter, but it may be easier for some folks to find sheet steel.
Once a configuration is found that can stop 7.62x39mm FMJ and .223 FMJ, we will work on refining that design by adding a shooter's cut and we'll look at adhesives that can do a better job at holding the fragments together after a bit fit better multi hit performance. I have confidence that liquid nails should do the trick if allowed to cure fully. I also think a layer of fabric adhered to the strike face ought to help hold the pieces together.
I really want this to be a community effort, so if you have any ideas, please post them. Once we settle on a design, I'd like to see other people test the design. That's where the repeatable part comes in.
- PEI grade 4 tiles are sufficiently strong
- Three tiles are enough
- HDPE backer can catch bullet and tile fragments
Link to test
The takeaway here is that yes, all the design criteria listed above were met. Next test will also use three PEI grade 4 tiles but will test a steel backer instead of HDPE. The reason is that HDPE is cheaper and lighter, but it may be easier for some folks to find sheet steel.
Once a configuration is found that can stop 7.62x39mm FMJ and .223 FMJ, we will work on refining that design by adding a shooter's cut and we'll look at adhesives that can do a better job at holding the fragments together after a bit fit better multi hit performance. I have confidence that liquid nails should do the trick if allowed to cure fully. I also think a layer of fabric adhered to the strike face ought to help hold the pieces together.
I really want this to be a community effort, so if you have any ideas, please post them. Once we settle on a design, I'd like to see other people test the design. That's where the repeatable part comes in.
