In the past, personal body armor was constructed of simple plates of high- strength alloys. However, with the advancement of modern combat and weaponry, particularly armor-piercing ammunition, personal body armor has evolved into more complex and effective metal, ceramic, and composite structures. This paper lays the groundwork for experimental and modeling methods used to understand the effectiveness of new armor designs. Focusing on the first layer of modern body armor, the ”High Impedance” layer. Experiments measuring the change in velocity of bullets passing through aluminum and titanium plates were conducted. These experiments were then replicated through FEA simulation.
","abstract_html":"<p>In the past, personal body armor was constructed of simple plates of high- strength alloys. However, with the advancement of modern combat and weaponry, particularly armor-piercing ammunition, personal body armor has evolved into more complex and effective metal, ceramic, and composite structures. This paper lays the groundwork for experimental and modeling methods used to understand the effectiveness of new armor designs. Focusing on the first layer of modern body armor, the ”High Impedance” layer. Experiments measuring the change in velocity of bullets passing through aluminum and titanium plates were conducted. These experiments were then replicated through FEA simulation.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Matzinger, Thomas"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"MS in Mechanical Engineering","degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":"Mechanical Engineering","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Tom Mase"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2018,"date_issued":"2018-02-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2018-02-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:31:49Z","subjects":["FEA IMPACT BULLET PLATE ARMOR"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["10.15368/theses.2017.37"],"render_values":[{"text":"10.15368/theses.2017.37","href":"https://doi.org/10.15368/theses.2017.37","code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/1808","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Tom Mase"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Matzinger, Thomas"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2018-02-24T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Mechanical Engineering"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["MS in Mechanical Engineering"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["FEA IMPACT BULLET PLATE ARMOR"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/1808","10.15368/theses.2017.37"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["In the past, personal body armor was constructed of simple plates of high- strength alloys. However, with the advancement of modern combat and weaponry, particularly armor-piercing ammunition, personal body armor has evolved into more complex and effective metal, ceramic, and composite structures. This paper lays the groundwork for experimental and modeling methods used to understand the effectiveness of new armor designs. Focusing on the first layer of modern body armor, the ”High Impedance” layer. Experiments measuring the change in velocity of bullets passing through aluminum and titanium plates were conducted. These experiments were then replicated through FEA simulation.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["An Overview of Body Armor and Single Plate Impact Dynamics"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Tom Mase"],"dc:creator":["Matzinger, Thomas"],"dc:date.available":["2018-02-24T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["In the past, personal body armor was constructed of simple plates of high- strength alloys. However, with the advancement of modern combat and weaponry, particularly armor-piercing ammunition, personal body armor has evolved into more complex and effective metal, ceramic, and composite structures. This paper lays the groundwork for experimental and modeling methods used to understand the effectiveness of new armor designs. Focusing on the first layer of modern body armor, the ”High Impedance” layer. Experiments measuring the change in velocity of bullets passing through aluminum and titanium plates were conducted. These experiments were then replicated through FEA simulation.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/1808","10.15368/theses.2017.37"],"dc:subject":["FEA IMPACT BULLET PLATE ARMOR"],"dc:title":["An Overview of Body Armor and Single Plate Impact Dynamics"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Mechanical Engineering"],"thesis:degree_name":["MS in Mechanical Engineering"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:31:49Z"}