Effects of clamping design on the ballistic impact response of soft body armor

The effects of clamping on the ballistic impact performance of non-backed woven aramid fabrics is studied by considering several clamping configurations including 4-sided, 2-sided, circular, diamond, and corner-clamped frames. V50 velocities were estimated through several deterministic finite element impact simulations at varying impact velocities. Impacts occurring both directly on a yarn and the inter-yarn gap were considered. The different clamping configurations resulted in different fabric deformation, failure, and energy dissipating mechanisms. The circular frame resulted in the highest fabric V50 velocity. The V50 velocities were often sensitive to the precise projectile impact location relative to the principal yarns. Impact tests with fabrics clamped using four corner plates showed tearing at the corners. Fabrics clamped at their four corner points showed distinct deformation and failure mechanisms over three impact velocity regimes.