Rumors About Bulletproof Vests

Due to its special nature as defensive equipment, bulletproof vests are not strictly controlled by relevant departments in China, making them one of the few types of equipment that can be legally held by individuals. In theory, compared to equipment that ordinary people cannot touch, bulletproof vests that can be touched should be better understood by military enthusiasts. However, reality is the

 

Rumors About Bulletproof Vests

 

    Due to its special nature as defensive equipment, bulletproof vests are not strictly controlled by relevant departments in China, making them one of the few types of equipment that can be legally held by individuals. In theory, compared to equipment that ordinary people cannot touch, bulletproof vests that can be touched should be better understood by military enthusiasts. However, reality is the opposite, with many rumors about bulletproof vests.

    The most famous rumor about bulletproof vests is undoubtedly the "broken rib theory", which means that even if you wear a bulletproof vest and are hit by a bullet, even if the bullet does not penetrate the vest, the tremendous impact of the bullet on the chest can still cause rib fractures. Therefore, bulletproof vests have no effect and essentially promote the theory that bulletproof vests are useless. It is said that there is another case of this rumor, where a US soldier wearing bulletproof clothing in Iraq was hit by a bullet, resulting in a fractured rib that pierced into the heart and killed the soldier. This kind of rumor is unbelievable.

 

 

    A bulletproof vest with a bulletproof insert cannot protect the entire body, but can only protect critical areas such as the heart and lungs. If a bullet happens to hit an area without insert protection, the damage will be enormous.

 

    A bulletproof vest is not capable of defending against any bullet, but rather establishes a bulletproof level based on the requirements for defending against bullets of different powers. The bulletproof vest can actually be divided into two parts. One part is the soft bulletproof vest body, which is woven from high-strength fiber materials such as UHMWPE, and can only provide basic bulletproof ability. To provide higher bulletproof ability, it depends on another part, which is the bulletproof insert plate. The bulletproof insert plate can be installed inside the soft bulletproof vest, usually made of bulletproof ceramics, or some use steel for cost considerations. By adding different bulletproof inserts to different soft bulletproof vests, different bulletproof levels are ultimately obtained. The bulletproof inserts sold on the market are made of armor steel plates, which are most common due to their low price. There are also bulletproof ceramic materials such as aluminum oxide and silicon carbide, which are more expensive but lighter in weight and stronger in protection under the same weight.

 

    Different countries and regions have different bulletproof level standards, and the most famous one is the US NIJ standard and the Chinese GA 141-2010 standard. There are two main criteria for determining whether a bulletproof vest can effectively protect against damage: one is whether it has been punctured, and the other is the type variable (BFS) of the bulletproof vest when it has not been punctured. The so-called type variable refers to the depth of indentation generated by simulating human tissue behind the bulletproof vest. In order to avoid damage to internal organs, the smaller the BFS, the better. The US NIJ standard stipulates that the BFS value shall not exceed 44mm, while the Chinese GA-141-2010 standard is more stringent, requiring the BFS value to not exceed 25mm.

 

    According to the NIJ standard and GA-141-2010 standard, different levels of bulletproof vests have their own bulletproof requirements. That is to say, as long as the production quality of bulletproof vests is not problematic or has not expired, bulletproof vests must be able to withstand bullets within their own requirements. This not only ensures that they are not punctured, but also ensures that the BFS value meets the requirements and does not cause significant damage to the internal organs, There won't be any broken ribs at all. If a bulletproof vest encounters a bullet that exceeds its bulletproof level, it is highly likely to be directly pierced.

 

    "The theory of broken ribs and useless bulletproof vests" is one extreme, while the other extreme is the "invincibility of bulletproof vests" theory, which means that as long as you wear the highest level of bulletproof vests, bullets cannot penetrate, and it is equivalent to invincibility. This fallacy is even more absurd than the notion that bulletproof vests are useless, because since World War II, light weapons have no longer been the absolute ruler of land warfare. The main force that causes damage to the enemy is not bullets, but shells, bombs, rockets, missiles, and so on, and bulletproof vests are simply dedicate when defend against them. The protective ability of soft bulletproof vests without plug-in boards is very limited, and they only have the ability to defend against ordinary lead core or hollow/soft pointed pistol bullets. If they encounter rifle bullets or high-power pistol bullets (such as. 44 Magnum), they are likely to be directly pierced.

 

    In addition to the theories of "bulletproof vests being useless" and "bulletproof vests being invincible", there is also a widely circulated rumor that "bulletproof vests are not resistant to knives or bows and arrows". This viewpoint is not actually wrong in specific situations, but if it is so absolute, then it is definitely wrong. A complete bulletproof vest is composed of a soft bulletproof vest and a bulletproof insert plate. The soft bulletproof vest is made of high-strength fiber textile, and can be used as a bulletproof vest without inserting a plate. It also has basic bulletproof ability, but its basic defense ability is relatively weak, and can only defend against low kinetic energy and low penetration pistol bullets.

 

    However, as it is made of fiber textiles, the gaps between the fibers allow the blade to "take advantage of the situation", and more importantly, the design of soft bulletproof vests is mainly to defend against the impact of bullets. The penetration of soft bulletproof vests by knives mainly relies on the principle of shearing, and the attack principle of bullets and bayonets on soft bulletproof vests is completely different. It does not mean that being able to defend against pistol bullets will definitely be able to prevent knife stabs. However, the conclusion is limited to soft bulletproof vests. If bulletproof inserts were added to soft bulletproof vests, it would be completely different. Whether it is bulletproof ceramics or armor steel plates, this high hardness material has extremely high protective effects on the cutting edge. Moreover, even soft bulletproof vests can have both bulletproof and stab proof functions, providing better protection for people.