Modern body armour is tested using fragment simulating projectiles (FSPs) not realfragments. In the UK, chisel nosed FSPs (CN FSPs) are used as part of a quality assuranceregimen as they provide repeatability, consistency, standardisation and also allowcomparisons to be made among armours. In this work a typical military (soft) body armourwas tested using i) real fragments collected from Mortar Bomb 81mm HE L41 and ii) CNFSPs. Statistical analysis showed there was no linear correlation between real fragments andCN FSPs. CN FSPs behaved in a predictable manner and were not accurate representationsof real fragments which behaved unpredictably due to the different shapes, sizes andmasses. This observation provides insight into research exploring the use of CN FSPs to testthe ballistic performance of typical body armour.
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