It's funny how many people are ripping on this design. Go out and build it yourself, in your garage, with your money. Dude built a 3A+ grade shoulder protector without a government or even a business budget. STFU. Dude deserves some major recognition.
DAVID; After watching all three videos in this series, here's my take. I've built and designed armor as well, and done a bit of testing. I've also been shot while wearing armor in the military, multiple times. So I have great affection for armor. Okay then, first, great work. for a first run, you did great. Based on your testing, what you said it was made from, and my experience making, wearing and using armor, I'd say you should reduce the layers of material by Half. Sure, this will lower your protection, however, you'll still have handgun protection that should be near a level IIIA armor. This will also reduce weight, which is a big thing if you actually have to wear the stuff for any amount of time. In my initial testing I found that 15 layers of standard Home depot fiberglass cloth will stop a 9 mm round (115 grain FMJ). (you'll want 20, then use the better stuff as well to maintain the armor level.) Now, you're using carbon fiber and E-glass or S-glass. using either of these increases the effectiveness by about 15% (roughly) over basic fiberglass from the hardware store. You're using epoxy, which again increases your effectiveness about 15% over the standard resin. since the armor failed in the rifle testing you have two choices, A) increase the armor in weight and thickness, which I wouldn't want to wear. B) reduce the armor thickness to be effective only against the rounds it stopped. (recommended) This makes it easier to wear. if you don't wear the armor because it's hot and sucks the life out of you, it doesn't help you when you get shot. Personally I'd go for thinner and make it easier to wear. The armor works by forcing the fibers to delaminate, therefore the strength of your epoxy and fabric really matter. You did great work here by using quality materials and epoxy. Here's another point, fiberglass alone is fine. There is no need to use Kevlar. Sure Kevlar works, but in my testing, when making hard armor, Kevlar isn't great. it tends to be difficult to wet out fully, and it doesn't really improve in ballistic resistance by adding epoxy. But fiberglass and carbon fiber do gain from being epoxied or resin soaked. Even today the U.S. military buys armor made of fiberglass. It's mostly used in large panels for buildings, and is made to look like a regular painted wall. I'm not going to list the specs, but if you look you can find out the thickness and armor rating of these panels. Just regular old fiberglass cloth, when properly made, will stop rifle rounds. (depending on thickness.) In that regard you were correct not to bother with Kevlar. Additionally, if you're looking to beef up the protection level, you can try adding silicon carbide or aluminum oxide tiles (you can get them online if you look.) and layering the tiles into a sandwich of fiberglass and carbon fiber. This is how some commercial ballistic plates are made, including plates rated at level IV (AP .30 caliber rounds, multi hit). Okay, that's all I have. Again, great work, it was fun to watch. It's amazing what we can build in a basement or garage workshop!
I agree with you that a few less layers might be a good idea. As far as increasing ballistic protection, I'd say experimenting with adding a few millimetres thick layer of hardened steel or even 7000 series aluminium might increase its overall protection in regards to rifle calibers. It'll make it heavier by a few ounces but for an increased rifle protection, I think that's a good trade off.
Stephen Sanford Okay, let me try again. I asked this once but didn’t like my wording so went back to rewatch build videos and try again... The maker used raptor liner to prevent spawling, I know that early in the war in Afghanistan our forces used a truck bed liner on the bottom of vehicles because the IED would still destroy the undercarriage, but the liner would hold everything together. Where his item failed was with rifle rounds, what I am wondering is, were he to start with an aluminum sheet that had been shaped, or if necessary, two aluminum sheets, both lined with a thick bed liner, then (if using two sheets) separated by one layer of fiberglass and epoxy, then surrounded by the necessary layers of fiberglass and epoxy, and put in a vacuum bag, would this work for at least small caliber rifle rounds like the 5.56mm and 7.62x39? What are your thoughts? If I had the funds I would be in the garage trying to make experimental pieces, then a face shield that snaps onto a motorcycle helmet, shoulders, a left forearm, a gauntlet for the left hand that allowed for the hand to go into it while it stayed on the aftermarket vertical fore grip of an AR like hippo hands on a motorcycle grip (paintball proves that shots often hit the hands holding the rifle, if the gauntlet for the front grip is made right it would shield both hands somewhat)... covid has destroyed my savings account and earnings, I couldn’t afford to make what I want, much less one or two pieces to experiment with on penetration resistance for various calibers; but I am still curious about the levels for possible future builds (if my income returns).... Have a great day.
@@Rick_Sanchez_C137_ send me an email so we don't have hijack this great video. scsanfordwritting@gmail.com or electstevesanford@gmail.com But in brief, if you've got AL laying about, you'll need about an inch. +/- to stop those rounds. I'll be happy to banter back and fourth on the subject with you over email. I can send you some of my research and sources and such.
They already have a halo type armor, look up armor of the future. The military does an armor convention in florida every year and 2 years ago they combined a full armor suit and a low profile exoskeleton. The exoskeleton provides strength assist making carrying the armor weightless, but the way they make the helmet weigh less is kinda dumb, it has a rod from the back that comes from the back of the spine to the top of the helmet to essentially hang the helmet off your head. I dunno looks silly but the helmet weighs about 9 pounds with all the computer stuff, optics, ir lights, flir camera that live feeds to screens. It has a non newtonian liquid armor and a computer that provides pressure to puncture wounds, it has a personal fan cooling system and full video game type hud that links to a drone feed system that uses intel agents to call out and highlight enemies and makes group cohesion profiles. It's actually quite cool, but they only have 2000 working suits in testing phase but if you ask me since people all over the world can see it I'd bet the government has got something even better then it. What the big thing other then the armor us china has been genetically altering human DNA to hopefully genetically make a human smarter, stronger, faster and generally better. I dont think they are changing grown adults but young kids are still growing so it maybe like a clone or something like this.
@@potoker2296 yeah I've also seen that! The armor looks great so far. I mean theres only so much that we can do with the tech we have now but even still I am Impressed. I always wondered why our militarys never took any strides to create such a suit to give our special forces operatives an edge in combat. I know its an extremely expensive project but I would love to see a suit like MJOLNIR
Not surprised that it didn't stand a chance against the rifles, but I was flabbergasted that it could take a hit from a .50 caliber desert eagle. That's pretty badass!!!
as far as i understand fabric based armors like kevlar and fiberglass/carbon fiber can stop any 'blunt' projectile provided its not going at super insane speeds. The reason (to my understanding) that rifle rounds go through kevlar vests for example, is because the point on the bullet allows it to spread the fibers apart. Thats why adding something as simple as a steel or ceramic plate allows you to stop rifle rounds so much easier, because it either breaks up the bullet or tilts it on its side making it into a wimpier 9mm basically
The outer layer being a replaceable plate will take alot of the kinetic energy out of the shot, allowing the layers of your design to catch the rifle rounds. Maybe your mold could be pressed from a cheap thin steel. These could be taken off via quick bolts or pins that you use and replaced quickly and re-strapped on, even during battle. Just a thought, very cool.
I bet you could layer in some sheet metal (m) plastic (p) and ceramics (c) to help break up the bullets. something like fiberglass(f)/f/c/f/f/p/f/f/m/f/f. Idk use triangular or hexagonal tiles to account for bends and multiple hits.
You can salvage kevlar from mil surplus vest panels, the kevlar lining in those is rated to IIa, a single large back panel could do 2-3 shoulder guards. A whole used vest is 150-300 but the inner panels can be had for $40-80.
Extremely impressive for what it's made of. No exotic materials, no exotic processes. 10/10 imo. "JuSt UsE KeVlAr," many comments say. Pretty sure those people won't actually make it anyway.
The design of this pauldron is very effective as well. Like how the 9mm got deflected into the ground because the shot landed on the rounded area of the armor. I suppose it isn’t ideal if you wear this armor around other people who don’t have right protection since deflection means the bullet just gets sent flying somewhere else, but overall it’s very effective. That’s why medieval armor is rounded and have bulges, to deflect arrows, swords & most hammers and spears.
I have seen a lot of DIY armor. I must say... You are the first I have seen make it to 3a without incorporating a metal plate. I would love to see someone make it to a true lvl 3 armor.
If it slows down a rifle bullet enough to avoid hydrostatic shock, then it's effective enough for battle as it still allows you to keep fighting. Excellent armor. If it weren't so heavy our military would definitely be using it.
Yeah I'm guessing that might change once they are using exoskeletons to help manage weight, we might actually get to see power armor within own lifetimes being widely adopted by various militaries.
uarmprotection.com/product/shoulder-and-biceps-armor-module/?attribute_pa_color=coyote&attribute_pa_size=s-xl Same protection level, 1/5th the weight. A medium chest sapi plate is 5.45lbs, is far more coverage and will stop rifle rounds at the muzzle. This is cool for the styling and possibility of self production, but actual production armor beats it handily. Also, our troops already have rifle rated body armor that includes bicep and neck armor, it's hot and not exactly light but it stops rifle rounds and getting shot at while sitting in a humvee sucks, so it gets worn anyhow. Exos aren't landing anytime soon but what we've got already isn't terrible
@@CtrlAltRetreat Yeah but from what I've heard from actually soldiers is that they rarely use full body armor since it's heavy and slows them down I'm sure there are some exceptions but there's a reason why we don't see the troops decked out in bomb suit looking uniforms. So it will probably take exoskeletons to make full ballistic suits standard military issue.
@@1810jeff It's mostly because it's cumbersome and if the threat level doesn't warrant it, it doesn't get issued. Take a look at convoy top gunner footage. They're pretty much all wearing the full kit.
You should most definitely start vacuum bagging these. It will increase the rigidity of the bid layers. it will also ensure that you have zero bubbles and help mitigate delamination. you could also incorporate a carbon kevlar weave into the part as well.
I agree with the polish farmer. Gotta rhinkbof it as a tank turret and how they deflect small subcaliber apfs rounds. The 9mm,.40 and .50 all hit along a ridge especially the .50. Skipped it right off. The 9mm+p round hit square on the "flattest" face of the dome. The smaller faster 5.56 would likely deflect if that area had ridges as well.
Pretty admirable how he's letting someone else pop rounds into his work of art, i know it needed to be tested but still, that thing was hand crafted and so much work went into it! Well done!
We knew the rifle rounds would go through, but bitch slapping away the .50AE was VERY impressive! Especially, on the first go of testing! Upgrade: Kevlar/Aramid instead of fiberglass. These are not only the standard materials used in body armor, but they also don't suck anywhere near as much to cut and grind on. Yes, they are more difficult to cut and grind, but they also don't make you want to rub your arms with sandpaper to make them feel better!
There's a lot of protective value here. Gunshot wounds through the side of the body are especially lethal because of the vital organs are stacked up. Cool stuff
Man that's how you start a video about testing a item...I cant stand videos that are about to show something..then it cuts to a black screen and the creator just blabs on about things that have norhing to do with the video.. But you did it the right way, you showed the point of the video first..and then got to the explaining. I just recently found your channel and I think you are underrated. You make awesome videos and you get to the point. Subscribed.
Just letting you know that you've got something with this content. I've been here since you started pretty much and the content you are going out on a limb and making is going to do great bro. Keep up the work man. Can't wait for the next video.
my suggestions to increase the protection is to contemplate following layers and materials or strategies: - soft (rubber?) -> draws energy - hard (ceramic or sand particles / pockets between layers) -> grinds projectile & dulls the "edge", changes angles due to irregular resistance and starts to tilt or "zig zag" - steel (might add more flexibility or hardness vs fibre glass) - kevlar - spaced armor (penetration distance is one of the best ways to increase protection) -> look at the german leopard 2 tank with its hollow & angled cheeks on the turret front - designed to eat penetrators, making it impenetrable for armor piercing darts due to the penetration distance and deflection of angle upon penetrating the first sacrifical layer - angles -> avoid bullet "traps" and try to cause a richocet away from the wearer, if possible (will not ricochet from a sacrificial layer [spaced armor], but might get trapped there which is less of a threat to others around)
Definitely interested in purchase, But I'm also interested in the "improvements" you mentioned. Short of swapping the fiber glass for Kevlar/ saying fuck it and doing carbon fiber, fiber glass, and Kevlar, I can't think of anything besides more layers that would make it stronger
I’m here from demolition ranch and Dude that thing looks like it will work like magic. Add some steel to the second prototype and it’s one of the best inventions for body armor ever I just looked more into your channel. It’s a dream
You need to put another 1/2in strip or ridge across the radius of the shoulder blade to stop ricochet . I don't know what I'm talking about. Looks awesome !
You should send one to H.P. White Laboratory, Inc. They do the testing for Spartan Armor Systems and can probably do more advanced testing. It seems you have something equivalent to level 3A Hard armor and is capable of multiple hits, so good job. Get a crono meter to see the fps of the rounds as it hits, this also helps with gauging the actual velocity resistance.
You should add kevlar, its used in bulletproof vests, and they mix it with carbon fiber on race cars in areas where they dont want penetration or brittleness, you might even get away making it thinner with that material. Also you need to integrate some metal brackets to the back layers of the material so the straps hold on to that without compromising the front layers with holes, and screws that will just be pushed into your arm by the bullet. Embedding metal parts to the composite layering to be able to attach metal parts or screws to composite parts its also a technique in race car and aerospace construction
i wonder how much KE rifle projectiles lost punching through all the layers. will it's even be enough to seriously wound? would be useful to put some clear ballistics blocks behind the shoulder pad to see what terminal/wpunding effect would be post armor penetration.
I still call it a fail, but the 5.56 didn't break the block behind it. It was just a gray dust on it. Really hard to see in the video though. I definitely should have planned better, but this was my first time filming anything like this.
J9 j3 It would be Better than no armor at all for the rifle rounds, and may keep you In the Fight long enough to neutralize the bad guy. But still very likely life threatening wounds that would necessitate a very fast trip to a Hospital. Still cool though!
I would be interested in seeing what the results would be with stronger cloth like Aramid, Carbon fiber is a pain to work with and is brittle. A very good test. Thumbs Up
beautiful work. I'm amazed at the 50 deflection but the rifle rounds do show signs of deflection so at the very least you changed the force and direction of the round so still a win to me. when we had to weld up our own armor on our vehicles overseas we were stuck using mild steel at times and by building layers of steel with a thin hollow area in between layers we were able to completely deflect a m2 50 round. took lots of trial and error but it proved fruitful in the end. I'm liking the idea of carbon fiber i hadn't thought of that for a material before. but that seems a good idea for cost and weight.
Most impressive design and detail you put into the shoulder armor! The results were better than what I was anticipating. The first two videos you put a lot of time into the product and must say that people would be willing to pay for items like this to go with body armor. Great job all around!!!
Older sets of plate mail armor were more pointed like an A on things like the breast plate. This allowed for arrows and spears to careen off to one side. Putting a tighter apex on that shoulder armor would help with the deflection.
What I'd love to see is ceramic fully encased in Kevlar. So that when the bullet penetrates the Kevlar and shatters the ceramic, that the shards can't move outside the path of the projectile, unless the Kevlar bag ruptures completely.
@@-DEATHSTROKE It depends on the size. Sure, I guess for APC/AFV it would make more sense, however in that case, you´d probably encase the ceramic plate in metal... or perhaps plastic for shock absorption...
It was worth watching the entire process after that Demolition Ranch video, though it was a little sad to see your 01, and 02 get shredded man. I liked these, they're awesome. But thank you for telling me to watch all the steps! It was worth the adventure!, and you get a subscribe from me ^^
You could try getting ahold of Hacksmith and asking which kevlar they settled on after testing for their bulletproof suit. You could probably get this stopping rifle rounds with the right materials.
Came here from demolition ranch! Nice work on that though, looks real good! But as he said, a layer of two of steel could make it have a better chance of stopping more powerful rounds (unless your main concern is being lightweight while still helping against smaller calibers)
It's not so much the weight (although that matters too), it's about getting the metal in the right shape to be able to embed it inside the armor. Easy to do with large, expensive equipment, but really hard to do with hand tools in the home shop.
@@lordpeevisoftweed but the fact it still absorbs kinetic energy still stands. Id rather have it on than not. I think it's pretty amazing it stopped multiple rounds.
You don't need to add Kevlar if you use single strand fiberglass and ceramic powder. The two used together fragments the round and diffuses it's energy into the FG matrix. Armor like this can only absorb so many rounds, but I've seen 3/8 thick material stop several 50 cal. in a 4 inch radius.
If you want cheap kevlar look at boat building distributors. They sell 58" sheets for between $30-$50 depending on width. It's popular for making canoes and some small boats that will take a beating vs fiberglass that shreds easier. Typically you need 15-20 layers depending on the weave thickness (denier) to stop a 9mm+P FMJ. No clue on the .50ae.
@@DavidGuyton what do you value your time to create it at? I'd be willing to pay 1000$ a piece but I also dont know how many hours you put into this so that might even be offensive. Im genuinely asking. What about if I could get you to "commision" a right and left set. How much would you be happy with?
Given the size and coverage offered, 6.5 lbs is quite a respectable weight, really. IIIA armor and definitely stab proof. You'd take a baseball bat to the shoulder and not feel it under that thing. Very well done.
From an engineering standpoint: both of those materials are a poor choice due to their brittleness, however, the shape they are milder into uses their compressive qualities well. Remember too that word shots will not hit straight on, but have some deflection due to the tight compound radii of the shape. I think this is a MASSIVE success.
Pretty sweet i figured it would work just from seeing znaproductions homemade armor. But this is alot cooler then what he did. The one with the philps head is called an extreme penetrator solid copper round. They are for going through people really.
Yeah get rid of the fiberglass. It is shit for wounds and it makes your process more difficult. Go with High Density Plastic heat it and form it to the molds. Wrap it in kevlar and cover that with a layer of the bed liner.
Now you gotta comfort test it. Is it acceptably comfortable to wear in the freezing cold? The scorching heat? Etc. I say this because the scale bullet resistant vest was declined by the US Army because apparently, it did not handle weather extremes well.
this is similar to the training plates most us soldiers use. when we deploy we are issued alternate plates that have a steel plate embedded in it to aid in stopping rifle rounds
very cool! The only catch is remembering that if you wore this you could be deflecting bullets to other unprotected parts of your body, but it is still really cool you were able to make body armor!
If you put some octagonal kitchen backsplash ceramic tile over this it'll be able to stop alot more. The hardness of the ceramic really brings down the penetration power.
Well done. Dont give up the career for being a cameraman ;) but that should quiet some of the trolls questioning the logic and capabilities of this design and approach. I wish my mark1s of anything were as solid. Cant wait for more contant you may have lost a lod of angle grinder disks and time but you gained a sub. Keep kickin ass brother! Homemade taking on 50 cal.... dammn
As far as protection goes this would work in the civilian sphere easily. The majority of rounds fired are 9mm and .45cal, the 7.62 are less common. This is basically 3A armor which covers the vast majority of rounds you're likely to see outside of professional conflict.
Enjoyed the test. One common thing i see that also happened hear, is that people tend to put the greater rounds in the flatter areas, making them less likely to deflect as well as their greater power compared to other rounds.
When it comes to Most Armor... SPEED Kills, as the saying goes. Even simply being a smaller diameter round and bullet design with less surface area at the tip, can noticeably increase penetration. That's why .50AE moving a few Hundred Feet Per Second faster (around 1,400 fps) and weighing about twice as much (probably around 300 grains) as the .40 cal, didn't do too much. And then that light for caliber Hot loaded 9mm scream'n at 1,800 fps, performed significantly better. The .50 is more like hitting with a Sledge Hammer vs the Claw end of Framing Hammer! Nice work! 👍!!! Well Built, and a Good Test!
just sent it to Demo without waiting for him to reach out. Bro you really need the clicks. Your vids are not doing great and Matt could give you easly a few hundretthousand views by just sending it to him. It looks great and also you made it great so he will test it. I mean, he shot a rubberball, so he will for sure test this nice armor! Just do it, dont be like you dont want it ;)
I wonder if you could include some small ceramic tiles in between the layers in a few key places to increase the rifle round resistance, without massively increasing the weight. From some of the Paul Harrell videos even standard ceramic floor tiles appear to offer increased resistance to 5.56 penetration.
I am impressed that the shooter cleared the guns after every shot. While this didn't stop all the shots, it could mean the difference between a bullet that stops in the in the arm and one that goes all the way into the chest cavity. In a gun fight I would rather have one of these than not. If you could add some Kevlar in the design it would probably be even better.
Kevlar was too expensive to consider for this "backyard build". I could have probably saved even more money skipping the carbon fiber. Kevlar would definitely perform better but it would have more than tripled the cost
Now that might be worth the time to make . Pretty sure a person would not want that fiberglass in an open wound (like a bullet wound) so maybe some kind of backing surface ? Other than that issue two thumbs up .
I'm not surprised the 9mm +P had the closest penetration in the first part of the test along with the .40. Both of those were made for sending smaller bullets faster and are known for greater penetration depth than .45 or even the .50 AE. Most auxilary plates (not the chest plates or the lastest generation of helmets) are only really rated against the pistol calibers anyway. With no aramid/Kevelar in the design, it is most impressive what stopping power simple fiberglass and carbon fiber have! Deflection is still protection (the logic of the old steel pot helmets, and helmets in general). I certainly look forward to seeing Demolition Ranch picks up for testing!
So the armor is made of rhino liner, epoxy, and fiber glass? I think if you get something hard in there, you'll see a big improvement. Small tiles or mix broken down ceramics into your epoxy layers.
heres a little interesting find I stumbled upon the other day, I highly recommend also manufacturing some of these plates with Dyneema instead of the carbon fiber. I think you might have something that is far more bullet resistant even up against even rifle rounds. Theres a few different body armor plates being made with Dyneema for its tensile strength and how lightweight it is. Making for more resistant armor and more lightweight armor.
If you want to beef up this shoulder plate cover the exterior with Hexagonal kitchen backsplash tiles. The ceramic really takes the speed and penetration out of the round!!!
I think with some tweaking this could go from IIA to IIIA Very good prototype and proof of concept. We should definitely see more mainstream interest in this type of product in the future, whether it be home-made or commercial built.
You mean 3A to 3?. 44 magnum is what 3A is rated for and this stopped .50AE no problem. If he tweaked it that stuff could probably be rated for rifles, Cool stuff for sure.
You need a cushion, a replaceable plate of material (stress dispersion/displacement) that will take at least 1 shot of 7.62 to be feasible for military use. Preferably think modular to maximize your options.
ATTENTION: I am currently looking into doing a GoFundMe or Kickstarter to make these available to the public. Stay Tuned.
The roundness deflected the dessert eagle round.
Where can i get that 9mm ammo you used last??
@@Anthony-bl5rm Undwrwood Ammo makes them.
I would be interested in it.
Ooo kickstarer, my one weakness.
It's funny how many people are ripping on this design. Go out and build it yourself, in your garage, with your money.
Dude built a 3A+ grade shoulder protector without a government or even a business budget.
STFU. Dude deserves some major recognition.
Hell yeah. Armchair experts though, part and parcel of the interwebz.
DAVID; After watching all three videos in this series, here's my take. I've built and designed armor as well, and done a bit of testing. I've also been shot while wearing armor in the military, multiple times. So I have great affection for armor. Okay then, first, great work. for a first run, you did great. Based on your testing, what you said it was made from, and my experience making, wearing and using armor, I'd say you should reduce the layers of material by Half. Sure, this will lower your protection, however, you'll still have handgun protection that should be near a level IIIA armor. This will also reduce weight, which is a big thing if you actually have to wear the stuff for any amount of time. In my initial testing I found that 15 layers of standard Home depot fiberglass cloth will stop a 9 mm round (115 grain FMJ). (you'll want 20, then use the better stuff as well to maintain the armor level.) Now, you're using carbon fiber and E-glass or S-glass. using either of these increases the effectiveness by about 15% (roughly) over basic fiberglass from the hardware store. You're using epoxy, which again increases your effectiveness about 15% over the standard resin. since the armor failed in the rifle testing you have two choices, A) increase the armor in weight and thickness, which I wouldn't want to wear. B) reduce the armor thickness to be effective only against the rounds it stopped. (recommended) This makes it easier to wear. if you don't wear the armor because it's hot and sucks the life out of you, it doesn't help you when you get shot. Personally I'd go for thinner and make it easier to wear. The armor works by forcing the fibers to delaminate, therefore the strength of your epoxy and fabric really matter. You did great work here by using quality materials and epoxy. Here's another point, fiberglass alone is fine. There is no need to use Kevlar. Sure Kevlar works, but in my testing, when making hard armor, Kevlar isn't great. it tends to be difficult to wet out fully, and it doesn't really improve in ballistic resistance by adding epoxy. But fiberglass and carbon fiber do gain from being epoxied or resin soaked. Even today the U.S. military buys armor made of fiberglass. It's mostly used in large panels for buildings, and is made to look like a regular painted wall. I'm not going to list the specs, but if you look you can find out the thickness and armor rating of these panels. Just regular old fiberglass cloth, when properly made, will stop rifle rounds. (depending on thickness.) In that regard you were correct not to bother with Kevlar. Additionally, if you're looking to beef up the protection level, you can try adding silicon carbide or aluminum oxide tiles (you can get them online if you look.) and layering the tiles into a sandwich of fiberglass and carbon fiber. This is how some commercial ballistic plates are made, including plates rated at level IV (AP .30 caliber rounds, multi hit). Okay, that's all I have. Again, great work, it was fun to watch. It's amazing what we can build in a basement or garage workshop!
I agree with you that a few less layers might be a good idea. As far as increasing ballistic protection, I'd say experimenting with adding a few millimetres thick layer of hardened steel or even 7000 series aluminium might increase its overall protection in regards to rifle calibers. It'll make it heavier by a few ounces but for an increased rifle protection, I think that's a good trade off.
Stephen Sanford
Okay, let me try again. I asked this once but didn’t like my wording so went back to rewatch build videos and try again...
The maker used raptor liner to prevent spawling, I know that early in the war in Afghanistan our forces used a truck bed liner on the bottom of vehicles because the IED would still destroy the undercarriage, but the liner would hold everything together.
Where his item failed was with rifle rounds, what I am wondering is, were he to start with an aluminum sheet that had been shaped, or if necessary, two aluminum sheets, both lined with a thick bed liner, then (if using two sheets) separated by one layer of fiberglass and epoxy, then surrounded by the necessary layers of fiberglass and epoxy, and put in a vacuum bag, would this work for at least small caliber rifle rounds like the 5.56mm and 7.62x39?
What are your thoughts? If I had the funds I would be in the garage trying to make experimental pieces, then a face shield that snaps onto a motorcycle helmet, shoulders, a left forearm, a gauntlet for the left hand that allowed for the hand to go into it while it stayed on the aftermarket vertical fore grip of an AR like hippo hands on a motorcycle grip (paintball proves that shots often hit the hands holding the rifle, if the gauntlet for the front grip is made right it would shield both hands somewhat)... covid has destroyed my savings account and earnings, I couldn’t afford to make what I want, much less one or two pieces to experiment with on penetration resistance for various calibers; but I am still curious about the levels for possible future builds (if my income returns)....
Have a great day.
@@Rick_Sanchez_C137_ send me an email so we don't have hijack this great video. scsanfordwritting@gmail.com or electstevesanford@gmail.com But in brief, if you've got AL laying about, you'll need about an inch. +/- to stop those rounds. I'll be happy to banter back and fourth on the subject with you over email. I can send you some of my research and sources and such.
This man is going to be the future creator of the spartan MK1 armor.
He's very artistic and talented. A good eye for design.
The mk 1 was unsuccessful😕
Even tho he is talented i think Alex Lab will be the future powered armor designer
They already have a halo type armor, look up armor of the future. The military does an armor convention in florida every year and 2 years ago they combined a full armor suit and a low profile exoskeleton. The exoskeleton provides strength assist making carrying the armor weightless, but the way they make the helmet weigh less is kinda dumb, it has a rod from the back that comes from the back of the spine to the top of the helmet to essentially hang the helmet off your head. I dunno looks silly but the helmet weighs about 9 pounds with all the computer stuff, optics, ir lights, flir camera that live feeds to screens.
It has a non newtonian liquid armor and a computer that provides pressure to puncture wounds, it has a personal fan cooling system and full video game type hud that links to a drone feed system that uses intel agents to call out and highlight enemies and makes group cohesion profiles. It's actually quite cool, but they only have 2000 working suits in testing phase but if you ask me since people all over the world can see it I'd bet the government has got something even better then it.
What the big thing other then the armor us china has been genetically altering human DNA to hopefully genetically make a human smarter, stronger, faster and generally better. I dont think they are changing grown adults but young kids are still growing so it maybe like a clone or something like this.
@@potoker2296 yeah I've also seen that! The armor looks great so far. I mean theres only so much that we can do with the tech we have now but even still I am Impressed. I always wondered why our militarys never took any strides to create such a suit to give our special forces operatives an edge in combat. I know its an extremely expensive project but I would love to see a suit like MJOLNIR
Not surprised that it didn't stand a chance against the rifles, but I was flabbergasted that it could take a hit from a .50 caliber desert eagle. That's pretty badass!!!
Isaac Sudduth its a big SLOW moving round, alot of punch. But no pen power. Speed breaks armor. Now a SW .500 might smash it.
as far as i understand fabric based armors like kevlar and fiberglass/carbon fiber can stop any 'blunt' projectile provided its not going at super insane speeds.
The reason (to my understanding) that rifle rounds go through kevlar vests for example, is because the point on the bullet allows it to spread the fibers apart. Thats why adding something as simple as a steel or ceramic plate allows you to stop rifle rounds so much easier, because it either breaks up the bullet or tilts it on its side making it into a wimpier 9mm basically
The outer layer being a replaceable plate will take alot of the kinetic energy out of the shot, allowing the layers of your design to catch the rifle rounds. Maybe your mold could be pressed from a cheap thin steel. These could be taken off via quick bolts or pins that you use and replaced quickly and re-strapped on, even during battle. Just a thought, very cool.
Full sets of this gear would sell so fast. Impressive.
Yeah that would be cool. To bad Kevlar is so dang expensive.
Yes sir I want
For those of you saying to use Kevlar....this piece would have been about $800 to produce. That's why I used CF and fiberglass.
you could always buy a used kevlar vest or surplus for like 100 bucks and salvage the fabric from that. should be enough for one shoulder pad.
I bet you could layer in some sheet metal (m) plastic (p) and ceramics (c) to help break up the bullets. something like fiberglass(f)/f/c/f/f/p/f/f/m/f/f. Idk use triangular or hexagonal tiles to account for bends and multiple hits.
Good job on it but i was wondering if maybe you could use a small steel net that has the same look as cloth that may be usefull
Man I would send you a grand easy for one of those.
You can salvage kevlar from mil surplus vest panels, the kevlar lining in those is rated to IIa, a single large back panel could do 2-3 shoulder guards. A whole used vest is 150-300 but the inner panels can be had for $40-80.
Extremely impressive for what it's made of. No exotic materials, no exotic processes. 10/10 imo. "JuSt UsE KeVlAr," many comments say. Pretty sure those people won't actually make it anyway.
The design of this pauldron is very effective as well. Like how the 9mm got deflected into the ground because the shot landed on the rounded area of the armor. I suppose it isn’t ideal if you wear this armor around other people who don’t have right protection since deflection means the bullet just gets sent flying somewhere else, but overall it’s very effective. That’s why medieval armor is rounded and have bulges, to deflect arrows, swords & most hammers and spears.
I have seen a lot of DIY armor. I must say... You are the first I have seen make it to 3a without incorporating a metal plate. I would love to see someone make it to a true lvl 3 armor.
If it slows down a rifle bullet enough to avoid hydrostatic shock, then it's effective enough for battle as it still allows you to keep fighting. Excellent armor. If it weren't so heavy our military would definitely be using it.
Yeah I'm guessing that might change once they are using exoskeletons to help manage weight, we might actually get to see power armor within own lifetimes being widely adopted by various militaries.
@@1810jeff yeah military exoskeletons are gonna be so cool
uarmprotection.com/product/shoulder-and-biceps-armor-module/?attribute_pa_color=coyote&attribute_pa_size=s-xl
Same protection level, 1/5th the weight.
A medium chest sapi plate is 5.45lbs, is far more coverage and will stop rifle rounds at the muzzle. This is cool for the styling and possibility of self production, but actual production armor beats it handily. Also, our troops already have rifle rated body armor that includes bicep and neck armor, it's hot and not exactly light but it stops rifle rounds and getting shot at while sitting in a humvee sucks, so it gets worn anyhow. Exos aren't landing anytime soon but what we've got already isn't terrible
@@CtrlAltRetreat Yeah but from what I've heard from actually soldiers is that they rarely use full body armor since it's heavy and slows them down I'm sure there are some exceptions but there's a reason why we don't see the troops decked out in bomb suit looking uniforms. So it will probably take exoskeletons to make full ballistic suits standard military issue.
@@1810jeff
It's mostly because it's cumbersome and if the threat level doesn't warrant it, it doesn't get issued. Take a look at convoy top gunner footage. They're pretty much all wearing the full kit.
I have only one thing to say...
The Emperor Protects.
*Astartes intensify*
You should most definitely start vacuum bagging these. It will increase the rigidity of the bid layers. it will also ensure that you have zero bubbles and help mitigate delamination. you could also incorporate a carbon kevlar weave into the part as well.
I agree with the polish farmer. Gotta rhinkbof it as a tank turret and how they deflect small subcaliber apfs rounds. The 9mm,.40 and .50 all hit along a ridge especially the .50. Skipped it right off. The 9mm+p round hit square on the "flattest" face of the dome. The smaller faster 5.56 would likely deflect if that area had ridges as well.
Pretty admirable how he's letting someone else pop rounds into his work of art, i know it needed to be tested but still, that thing was hand crafted and so much work went into it! Well done!
Just watched Matt "test" it on Demo ranch,came to watch you build and test it. Great job making this. I enjoyed the videos so I subscribed.
Don't know why it's only popped up now, but for homemade work this is pretty damn good. I appreciate the aesthetic you went for with it.
We knew the rifle rounds would go through, but bitch slapping away the .50AE was VERY impressive! Especially, on the first go of testing!
Upgrade: Kevlar/Aramid instead of fiberglass.
These are not only the standard materials used in body armor, but they also don't suck anywhere near as much to cut and grind on. Yes, they are more difficult to cut and grind, but they also don't make you want to rub your arms with sandpaper to make them feel better!
There's a lot of protective value here. Gunshot wounds through the side of the body are especially lethal because of the vital organs are stacked up. Cool stuff
came here from DemoRanch, dude keep working awesome protection!
Man that's how you start a video about testing a item...I cant stand videos that are about to show something..then it cuts to a black screen and the creator just blabs on about things that have norhing to do with the video..
But you did it the right way, you showed the point of the video first..and then got to the explaining.
I just recently found your channel and I think you are underrated. You make awesome videos and you get to the point. Subscribed.
Came from the new demo ranch video good job on this piece
Just letting you know that you've got something with this content. I've been here since you started pretty much and the content you are going out on a limb and making is going to do great bro. Keep up the work man. Can't wait for the next video.
Found your channel after watching demolitionranch loveeeee the shoulder armor sooo much
Impressive, simple materials and can stop small arms fire.
Whos here after Demo Ranch reviewed it?
my suggestions to increase the protection is to contemplate following layers and materials or strategies:
- soft (rubber?) -> draws energy
- hard (ceramic or sand particles / pockets between layers) -> grinds projectile & dulls the "edge", changes angles due to irregular resistance and starts to tilt or "zig zag"
- steel (might add more flexibility or hardness vs fibre glass)
- kevlar
- spaced armor (penetration distance is one of the best ways to increase protection)
-> look at the german leopard 2 tank with its hollow & angled cheeks on the turret front - designed to eat penetrators, making it impenetrable for armor piercing darts due to the penetration distance and deflection of angle upon penetrating the first sacrifical layer
- angles -> avoid bullet "traps" and try to cause a richocet away from the wearer, if possible (will not ricochet from a sacrificial layer [spaced armor], but might get trapped there which is less of a threat to others around)
Tank armor systems isnt applicable to humans as there armor isnt motorized.
I think there is some merit to the idea of designing in an empty cavity in the middle. Might add a bit more protection without adding any weight.
You should of straped it to ballistics gel to see if the rifle rounds go through the gel after the armor
Definitely interested in purchase, But I'm also interested in the "improvements" you mentioned. Short of swapping the fiber glass for Kevlar/ saying fuck it and doing carbon fiber, fiber glass, and Kevlar, I can't think of anything besides more layers that would make it stronger
One step closer to a full body Space Marine armor
Very late to the party but this vid just got recommended to me with the Part 2 vid that showed how you made it and I'm intrigued! this was amazing
I’m here from demolition ranch and
Dude that thing looks like it will work like magic. Add some steel to the second prototype and it’s one of the best inventions for body armor ever
I just looked more into your channel. It’s a dream
Love to see a full suit made out of this
If you do another test, would be nice to put a gel block behind that to see how much penetration the slugs still do
You need to put another 1/2in strip or ridge across the radius of the shoulder blade to stop ricochet . I don't know what I'm talking about. Looks awesome !
You should send one to H.P. White Laboratory, Inc. They do the testing for Spartan Armor Systems and can probably do more advanced testing. It seems you have something equivalent to level 3A Hard armor and is capable of multiple hits, so good job. Get a crono meter to see the fps of the rounds as it hits, this also helps with gauging the actual velocity resistance.
You should add kevlar, its used in bulletproof vests, and they mix it with carbon fiber on race cars in areas where they dont want penetration or brittleness, you might even get away making it thinner with that material. Also you need to integrate some metal brackets to the back layers of the material so the straps hold on to that without compromising the front layers with holes, and screws that will just be pushed into your arm by the bullet. Embedding metal parts to the composite layering to be able to attach metal parts or screws to composite parts its also a technique in race car and aerospace construction
Impressive how effective a few days work actually was, well done.
i wonder how much KE rifle projectiles lost punching through all the layers. will it's even be enough to seriously wound? would be useful to put some clear ballistics blocks behind the shoulder pad to see what terminal/wpunding effect would be post armor penetration.
I still call it a fail, but the 5.56 didn't break the block behind it. It was just a gray dust on it. Really hard to see in the video though. I definitely should have planned better, but this was my first time filming anything like this.
J9 j3 It would be Better than no armor at all for the rifle rounds, and may keep you In the Fight long enough to neutralize the bad guy. But still very likely life threatening wounds that would necessitate a very fast trip to a Hospital. Still cool though!
I would be interested in seeing what the results would be with stronger cloth like Aramid, Carbon fiber is a pain to work with and is brittle.
A very good test. Thumbs Up
Absolutely would buy, you gotta patent these and begin production, it's brilliant.
beautiful work. I'm amazed at the 50 deflection but the rifle rounds do show signs of deflection so at the very least you changed the force and direction of the round so still a win to me. when we had to weld up our own armor on our vehicles overseas we were stuck using mild steel at times and by building layers of steel with a thin hollow area in between layers we were able to completely deflect a m2 50 round. took lots of trial and error but it proved fruitful in the end. I'm liking the idea of carbon fiber i hadn't thought of that for a material before. but that seems a good idea for cost and weight.
Most impressive design and detail you put into the shoulder armor! The results were better than what I was anticipating. The first two videos you put a lot of time into the product and must say that people would be willing to pay for items like this to go with body armor. Great job all around!!!
The post-filming inspection closeups was a great addition and decision.
Older sets of plate mail armor were more pointed like an A on things like the breast plate. This allowed for arrows and spears to careen off to one side. Putting a tighter apex on that shoulder armor would help with the deflection.
You mean like a V right?
Can you imagine if it had some sort of metal or ceramic backing plate? It’d be one hell of a piece at that point
What I'd love to see is ceramic fully encased in Kevlar. So that when the bullet penetrates the Kevlar and shatters the ceramic, that the shards can't move outside the path of the projectile, unless the Kevlar bag ruptures completely.
@@edi9892 great concept, massive weight though
@@-DEATHSTROKE It depends on the size. Sure, I guess for APC/AFV it would make more sense, however in that case, you´d probably encase the ceramic plate in metal... or perhaps plastic for shock absorption...
You want the ceramic on the face to break up the bullet.
It was worth watching the entire process after that Demolition Ranch video, though it was a little sad to see your 01, and 02 get shredded man. I liked these, they're awesome. But thank you for telling me to watch all the steps! It was worth the adventure!, and you get a subscribe from me ^^
You could try getting ahold of Hacksmith and asking which kevlar they settled on after testing for their bulletproof suit. You could probably get this stopping rifle rounds with the right materials.
Awesome video! I would love to see you make and test a custom bullet proof 40k style chest plate
Came here from demolition ranch!
Nice work on that though, looks real good! But as he said, a layer of two of steel could make it have a better chance of stopping more powerful rounds (unless your main concern is being lightweight while still helping against smaller calibers)
It's not so much the weight (although that matters too), it's about getting the metal in the right shape to be able to embed it inside the armor. Easy to do with large, expensive equipment, but really hard to do with hand tools in the home shop.
even with penetration, a lot of the kinetic energy is absorbed by the armor reducing the damaging forces applied to the body.
Its carbon fiber and fiberglass, youre gonna have hella strands in your body if it gets through and that could be worse than a clean shot
@@lordpeevisoftweed but the fact it still absorbs kinetic energy still stands. Id rather have it on than not. I think it's pretty amazing it stopped multiple rounds.
If you would replace the fiberglass with kevlar, you might actually be able to give it more stopping power. Awesome project no matter.
And not get fiberglass in your bullet wound lol
@@marcusholtzheimer9316 yeah I still don't know why he used carbon fiber, maybe just because it sounded cool
@@pregno1421 UHMWPE outperforms kevlar in pretty much every way as far as i know, pretty much all soft body armour has switched over to it instead
@@MsArchitectschannel how would you apply that for this type of application though? 3D printing?
No
You finally send some to demo ranch. Thank you
Need to get her up to level lll. That glue is very impressive btw!
You don't need to add Kevlar if you use single strand fiberglass and ceramic powder. The two used together fragments the round and diffuses it's energy into the FG matrix. Armor like this can only absorb so many rounds, but I've seen 3/8 thick material stop several 50 cal. in a 4 inch radius.
If you want cheap kevlar look at boat building distributors. They sell 58" sheets for between $30-$50 depending on width. It's popular for making canoes and some small boats that will take a beating vs fiberglass that shreds easier. Typically you need 15-20 layers depending on the weave thickness (denier) to stop a 9mm+P FMJ. No clue on the .50ae.
That's still $300 to $500 Kevlar alone to build this piece. I can't justify spending that kind of money on it.
@@DavidGuyton what do you value your time to create it at?
I'd be willing to pay 1000$ a piece but I also dont know how many hours you put into this so that might even be offensive.
Im genuinely asking. What about if I could get you to "commision" a right and left set. How much would you be happy with?
Given the size and coverage offered, 6.5 lbs is quite a respectable weight, really. IIIA armor and definitely stab proof. You'd take a baseball bat to the shoulder and not feel it under that thing. Very well done.
If the shield at the top were clear polycarbonate, or something like that, it could be extended up for more face protection and visibility.
You should make a series of bullet resistant armour the same way as she made the shoulder top 2 bottom
Amazing test video man!! I’m glad we got to witness this milestone in Armor Templates!
From an engineering standpoint: both of those materials are a poor choice due to their brittleness, however, the shape they are milder into uses their compressive qualities well.
Remember too that word shots will not hit straight on, but have some deflection due to the tight compound radii of the shape.
I think this is a MASSIVE success.
Pretty sweet i figured it would work just from seeing znaproductions homemade armor. But this is alot cooler then what he did.
The one with the philps head is called an extreme penetrator solid copper round. They are for going through people really.
Yeah get rid of the fiberglass. It is shit for wounds and it makes your process more difficult. Go with High Density Plastic heat it and form it to the molds. Wrap it in kevlar and cover that with a layer of the bed liner.
It's a first attempt proof of concept and it defeated 9mm +p it's pretty good
This shit is too impressive, man. All sorts of useful applications for this stuff.
Now you gotta comfort test it. Is it acceptably comfortable to wear in the freezing cold? The scorching heat? Etc.
I say this because the scale bullet resistant vest was declined by the US Army because apparently, it did not handle weather extremes well.
Good idea , bit then you want it white as to not absprb heat
this is similar to the training plates most us soldiers use. when we deploy we are issued alternate plates that have a steel plate embedded in it to aid in stopping rifle rounds
very cool! The only catch is remembering that if you wore this you could be deflecting bullets to other unprotected parts of your body, but it is still really cool you were able to make body armor!
i doubt it would do that
Definetly need to get demo ranch in on this
Impressive. I'm curious if it would deflect rifle rounds if hit from an angle. It would be rare to take a shoulder hit straight on.
I think the rounded design helps it alot. That fiberglass cast is tough but the shape will help alot of shots glance off.
If you put some octagonal kitchen backsplash ceramic tile over this it'll be able to stop alot more. The hardness of the ceramic really brings down the penetration power.
wow, amazing shooting skills, must have trained those shots. Also, incredible performance by the fiberglass armor
Now imagine leaving the steel as an internal layer.
Bulletproof armor is not too complicated to make, it's just a little pricy.
Well done. Dont give up the career for being a cameraman ;) but that should quiet some of the trolls questioning the logic and capabilities of this design and approach. I wish my mark1s of anything were as solid. Cant wait for more contant you may have lost a lod of angle grinder disks and time but you gained a sub. Keep kickin ass brother! Homemade taking on 50 cal.... dammn
As far as protection goes this would work in the civilian sphere easily. The majority of rounds fired are 9mm and .45cal, the 7.62 are less common. This is basically 3A armor which covers the vast majority of rounds you're likely to see outside of professional conflict.
Enjoyed the test. One common thing i see that also happened hear, is that people tend to put the greater rounds in the flatter areas, making them less likely to deflect as well as their greater power compared to other rounds.
When it comes to Most Armor... SPEED Kills, as the saying goes. Even simply being a smaller diameter round and bullet design with less surface area at the tip, can noticeably increase penetration. That's why .50AE moving a few Hundred Feet Per Second faster (around 1,400 fps) and weighing about twice as much (probably around 300 grains) as the .40 cal, didn't do too much. And then that light for caliber Hot loaded 9mm scream'n at 1,800 fps, performed significantly better. The .50 is more like hitting with a Sledge Hammer vs the Claw end of Framing Hammer!
Nice work! 👍!!! Well Built, and a Good Test!
*American ingenuity at its finest. Outstanding*
Use kevlar man! This was still impressive! I can see this being applicable when shielding your face.
Might want to try and add a few layers of silk cloth, not sure of what type of weave though
just sent it to Demo without waiting for him to reach out. Bro you really need the clicks. Your vids are not doing great and Matt could give you easly a few hundretthousand views by just sending it to him. It looks great and also you made it great so he will test it. I mean, he shot a rubberball, so he will for sure test this nice armor! Just do it, dont be like you dont want it ;)
I wonder if you could include some small ceramic tiles in between the layers in a few key places to increase the rifle round resistance, without massively increasing the weight. From some of the Paul Harrell videos even standard ceramic floor tiles appear to offer increased resistance to 5.56 penetration.
You can get bathroom tile in sheets of small squares that might be able to follow a curve. Probably need quite a few layers for rifle protection.
I am impressed that the shooter cleared the guns after every shot. While this didn't stop all the shots, it could mean the difference between a bullet that stops in the in the arm and one that goes all the way into the chest cavity. In a gun fight I would rather have one of these than not. If you could add some Kevlar in the design it would probably be even better.
Kevlar was too expensive to consider for this "backyard build". I could have probably saved even more money skipping the carbon fiber. Kevlar would definitely perform better but it would have more than tripled the cost
Facts are facts, it slowed the projectile significantly. That is awesome!
Now that might be worth the time to make . Pretty sure a person would not want that fiberglass in an open wound (like a bullet wound) so maybe some kind of backing surface ? Other than that issue two thumbs up .
I'm not surprised the 9mm +P had the closest penetration in the first part of the test along with the .40. Both of those were made for sending smaller bullets faster and are known for greater penetration depth than .45 or even the .50 AE. Most auxilary plates (not the chest plates or the lastest generation of helmets) are only really rated against the pistol calibers anyway. With no aramid/Kevelar in the design, it is most impressive what stopping power simple fiberglass and carbon fiber have! Deflection is still protection (the logic of the old steel pot helmets, and helmets in general). I certainly look forward to seeing Demolition Ranch picks up for testing!
congratulations, demolition ranch approves of your armor.
Excellent work David, and thanks for the great content!
So the armor is made of rhino liner, epoxy, and fiber glass? I think if you get something hard in there, you'll see a big improvement. Small tiles or mix broken down ceramics into your epoxy layers.
heres a little interesting find I stumbled upon the other day, I highly recommend also manufacturing some of these plates with Dyneema instead of the carbon fiber.
I think you might have something that is far more bullet resistant even up against even rifle rounds. Theres a few different body armor plates being made with Dyneema for its tensile strength and how lightweight it is. Making for more resistant armor and more lightweight armor.
If you want to beef up this shoulder plate cover the exterior with Hexagonal kitchen backsplash tiles. The ceramic really takes the speed and penetration out of the round!!!
I think with some tweaking this could go from IIA to IIIA
Very good prototype and proof of concept.
We should definitely see more mainstream interest in this type of product in the future, whether it be home-made or commercial built.
You mean 3A to 3?. 44 magnum is what 3A is rated for and this stopped .50AE no problem. If he tweaked it that stuff could probably be rated for rifles, Cool stuff for sure.
i know you said you wouldn't want to make more but would you make the molds and sell?
Having a non-newtonian fluid or a gel (maybe combo) on the inside to absorb any spatter or impact coming through the plate. Also a comfier feel.
You need a cushion, a replaceable plate of material (stress dispersion/displacement) that will take at least 1 shot of 7.62 to be feasible for military use. Preferably think modular to maximize your options.
Here from DemoRanch. Your art is amazing. Keep up your endeavors.
I'm very impressed. This is rad.
You are a genius in your own right! Man you gotta make the gauntlets!
You should contact AR500 amour and try to start a partnership with them, they could improve on what you have with a stronger lighter materials.