Flexible ballistic resistant article having a thermoplastic elastomeric honeycomb panel

Abstract

A flexible ballistic resistant article for protecting a user from a high speed projectile, including an outer layer for stopping the forward motion of the projectile, and an inner layer disposed between the outer layer and the user. The inner layer reduces the backface signature of the outer layer thereby reducing the blunt trauma experienced by the user. The outer layer including a plurality of plies of high tensile strength fibers. The inner layer including a honeycomb core formed of undulated strips of resilient thermoplastic material, thermal compression bonded together to form cell walls defining a plurality of contiguous regularly shaped cells. The core having a first face formed by a first extremity of the cell walls, and a second face formed by a second extremity of the cell walls. The core further having means for maintaining the core in its expanded configuration so that it can be used to anisotropically flex to stabilize and spread the load experienced by the user. The maintaining means being a facing sheet attached to one of the first and the second faces of the core. A cover for encasing each of the inner and the outer layers. Means for attaching the cover to the user.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.