Recent body armour trends emphasize mobility, flexibility, and cost reduction while maintaining ballistic effectiveness through the use of natural fiber composite. This study evaluates the ballistic impact performance of soft and hard armor using experimental, analytical, numerical, and machine learning methods. We developed a soft armor bio-composite using monolithic, hybrid, and helicoidal structured Hemp (H)/Basalt (B)/Polyurethane (PU) rubber and tested its V50 ballistic limit according to Millitary-Standred-662 F. For hard armour, a multi-layer armor system (MAS) consisting of Al2O3/SiC ceramic, intermediate soft armour bio-composites, and an Aluminum (Al)-5052 plate backing was tested with armour-piercing bullets as per National Institute of Justice (NIJ)-0101.06 standards (Level IV). Soft armor performance was evaluated using macro-homogeneous finite element (FE), the Ipson-Retch analytical, and an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) regression model. Results showed minimal discrepancies from experimental data, with differences of 13.33 %, 12.08 %, and 8.08 % in V50 ballistic limit. The mechanical and thermal behaviors of bio-composites were assessed using un-notched Charpy, FTIR, and TGA methods. Helicoidal laminates improved Charpy toughness by 9.44 %, 19.30 %, and 40.28 % compared to hybrid and monolithic ([H]15 and [H]10) laminates, and exhibited lower weight reduction at high degradation temperature of 395.76 ?. Helicoidal laminates increased V50 ballistic performance by 155.80 %, 76.22 %, and 16.61 % compared to [H]10, [H]15, and hybrid laminates, respectively. Due to spiral load distribution reduces stress concentration and enhanced the damage resistance of the laminate. Stand-alone soft armor demonstrates crater formation and radial cracks (petaling) due to fiber wedging and the shearing effect of a bullet. In conclusion, MAS revels a maximum back face deformation (BFD) of 18.06 mm. Al2O3/Helicoidal/Al-plate MAS reduced weight and cost by 69.21 %, and 233.72 % compared to Kevlar™-based MAS, promoting sustainable, lightweight, economical designs. Due to its higher fracture toughness and lower density, SiC ceramic in MAS provides lower trauma and further reduced weight compared to Al2O3 ceramic. © 2024 Elsevier B.V.

	views
Bio-inspired helicoidal hemp/basalt/polyurethane rubber bio-composites: Experimental, numerical and analytical ballistic impact study with residual velocity prediction using artificial neural network	0

	views
December 2025	0
January 2026	0
February 2026	0
March 2026	0
April 2026	0
May 2026	0
June 2026	0

Statistics for Bio-inspired helicoidal hemp/basalt/polyurethane rubber bio-composites: Experimental, numerical and analytical ballistic impact study with residual velocity prediction using artificial neural network

Total visits

Total visits per month