Development of Advanced Personal Protective Equipment Fabrics for Protection Against Slashes and Pathogenic Bacteria Part 1: Development and Evaluation of Slash-resistant Garments

Abstract

Knife is the most commonly used single weapon in the UK, being 32% of the weapons used in violent incidents. Studies reveal that the majority (63.3%) of the knife-inflicted wounds were slash-type and could be disfiguring or life threatening if the blood vessels are ruptured. The stab-resistant armors currently available do not protect the arms, neck, and face as they are very rigid to be worn comfortably and are expensive and heavy for everyday use by the civilian population. The main objectives of this research program are to (a) develop and characterize a novel cut-resistant and slashproof material that is lightweight, comfortable, and efficient and (b) integrate barrier properties in such garments that would incorporate suitable antimicrobial and other suitable chemicals to provide protection against a range of microorganisms. During this research program, various composite yarns were thoroughly investigated, at different proportions, to determine the most appropriate yarn for the slashproof material. The slashproof fabric structures were developed by using knitting technology as it offers significant advantages in terms of cost, design flexibility, and versatility. The fabrics were characterized by using Home Office Scientific Development Branch (HOSDB) Slash Resistance Standard for UK Police (2006), Publication No. 48/05. The results indicate that the developed fabric meets the criteria required by the HOSDB. The article discusses the results obtained during the development of the novel slashproof material for the police, armed forces, children, and the public, that is lightweight, comfortable, and efficient, and can be utilized for long periods.

Forces Required for a Knife to Penetrate a Variety of Clothing Types

“…Thus, as part of this study, a new “slash hoodie” (white covert hooded top lined with aramid fiber) was purchased from http://www.bladerunner.tv. The information on the companies website states that this garment is “tested in accordance with EN388, 6.2—Blade cut resistance, and has achieved level 2.” BS EN 388:2003 is a measure of how many cycles it takes for a rotating circular blade to cut through a material under specific conditions and is specific for gloves . A more appropriate test for this type of garment would have been the BS EN ISO 13997:1997, which details a test to determine a fabrics' resistance to cutting using sharp objects, and was designed for all types of protective garments .…”

“…60 N greater than for the skin simulant alone. Aramid fibers are commonly used in jackets for providing ballistic protection . It is known that the strength of the aramid fibers degrades over time, and thus, it should be emphasized that our tests were carried out on a new hoodie.…”

“…This work has been focused on trying to prevent penetration and minimize the severity of injuries. Through this work, fabrics that can be used for protective garments have been considered in detail including their compositions, construction, weave, and also the combinations of these fabrics and the ordering of layering them . Clearly, the additional force for penetration of protective clothing such as stab vests is considerable.…”

“…Clearly, the additional force for penetration of protective clothing such as stab vests is considerable. For example, a slash vest consisting of Kevlar and Jersey can require up to 234.4 N to penetrate .…”

Development and evaluation of 3D knitted fabrics to protect against mechanical risk

“…Mechanical hazards are the most common form of threat which may be knives and needles, high speed rotating machines, sharp objects or rough surfaces and so on [2,3]. The demand for protective garments is ever increasing [2,4,5]. There is extensive use of body armour to protect the hands and feet from cut injuries in some industries, including healthcare, law enforcement, and also in sports, transportation and so on [3,[6][7][8].…”