Protecting from Slash Knife Attacks

The provision of stab- and bullet-resistant body armour to UK police officers is now commonplace. These garments comprise of a multi-layer pack which contributes to thermo-physiological loading and reduction in mobility. Recently interest has turned towards slash protection, culminating in the publication of a standard method for testing slash resistance (Malbon and Croft, 2006). A retrospective survey of hospital admissions data that contributed to the development of the standard suggested that 63 % of wounds attributable to sharp edged weapons were slash events. The most vulnerable areas were the head, arms, thighs and neck (Bleetman, Watson, Horsfall and Champion, 2003). The incorporation of successful slash protection into garments should not affect mobility, and is required to be covert. In the current research the effectiveness of a quilting pattern applied to a 100 % cotton plain woven fabric (nominally mass per unit area 360 g/m2, thickness 0.62 mm, sett 14 x 14 yarns / 10 mm) on resisting slash attacks was investigated. In this preliminary study, quilting was applied to a single layer of fabric by hand (stitch type ISO 209, stitch length ~ 3 mm) using titanium wire, braided Dyneema, braided Kevlar and plaited Kevlar in 5 x 5 mm and 10 x 10 mm patterns orientated on-grain and in the bias directions. All slash events were conducted in the weft direction of the fabric. Number of slashes to penetrate, the effect of dry and wet conditions, the effect of backing materials and failure mechanisms were determined.