A utility pack is provided. The utility pack is a combination of a vest, bag and liner. The vest of the current invention, includes a back portion containing a bulletproof plate, side portions, a left front flap with enclosed bulletproof plate and a right front flap that close and fasten with velcro, forming a double-breasted vest unit made of 100% ballistic nylon material. The backpack/bag (made of ballistic material) of the current invention, includes a large internal compartment, accessible by compartment zipper and a small compartment accessible by compartment zipper, the bag is worn, using two shoulder straps that are adjustable for size and comfort, the bag has velcro strips on back portion of bag, used to fasten accompanying bulletproof vest, to form one unit. The bag houses eight snap buttons, that, when aligned with corresponding backpack liner (100% ballistic material) snap buttons, connect and form the appearance of a traditional backpack, that, conceals the attached bulletproof vest from the public eye. The utility pack of the current invention, is made in various sizes for the convenient use of all wearers.

A multi-layer body armor plate includes a strike plate; a mesh layer positioned over the strike plate, the mesh layer having a number of open cells; and an outer skin layer positioned over the mesh layer so as to encapsulate the open cells of the mesh layer between the strike plate and the outer skin layer. The open cells of the mesh layer may entrap air or may be filled with expandable, buoyant foam.

An apparatus includes first, second, and third layers. The first layer includes a plurality of flanges. The second layer includes a deformable membrane. The second layer is connected to the first layer along a first major surface of the deformable membrane. The third layer is connected to the second layer along a second major surface of the deformable membrane opposite the first major surface. The third layer includes a first series of internal structures.

A composite material for absorbing forces applied to a face of the material includes a first plurality of shaped solids and a second plurality of shaped solids arranged proximate to one another. A third plurality of shaped solids may be arranged proximate to both the first and second plurality of shaped solids, and be least partially located in a plurality of spaces formed by the arrangement of the first and second shaped solids proximate one another. One of the first, second and third pluralities of solids may be connected to a material layer, which may be a fiber or filament reinforced layer. Interstices existing between the first, second and third pluralities of shaped solids may have a resilient material therein.

An armor component that includes a ballistic tile made of, for example, boron carbide or silicon carbide, a plurality of wraps made of ballistic fibers such as carbon fiber, and a metal plate, for example, a steel plate, the metal plate being positioned behind the reverse side of the tile and the wraps being wrapped around the tile and the metal plate.

A seating assembly includes a seat base. A seatback is operably coupled to the seat base and includes a seat cushion disposed on a front side thereof. A protective panel operably coupled with the seatback panel. The protective panel includes an internal aluminum panel disposed inside the seatback. An external aluminum panel is disposed on the seatback. A polymeric matrix is disposed between the internal aluminum panel and the external aluminum panel.

A composite structure for stab protection includes layers of flat structures placed on top of each other, and an embedding material, wherein, in at least some of the layers placed on top of each other, the flat structures of adjacent layers are offset relative to one another, the flat structures of the composite structure are at least partially embedded in the embedding material, and the composite structure includes separated connecting elements, wherein before they are separated, the separated connecting elements have connected at least some of the flat structures of adjacent layers with one another.

Composites comprising aerogel materials are generally described. Layered aerogel composites may be of great utility for a wide variety of applications including lightweight structures, ballistic panels, multilayer thermal and acoustic insulation, spacecraft reentry shielding, supercapacitors, batteries, acoustic insulation, and flexible garments. Layered aerogel composites may be prepared by combing layers of fiber-containing sheets and multisheet plies with aerogel materials. Composites comprising mechanically strong aerogels and reticulated aerogel structures are described. Various nanocomposite aerogel materials may be prepared to facilitate production of composites with desirable functions and properties. Layered aerogel composites and related aerogel materials described in the present disclosure have not been previously possible due to a lack of viable aerogel formulations, a lack of methods for adhering and joining aerogel materials to each other and other materials, and a lack of methods that enable combining of fibrous materials and aerogels into layered structures in the same material envelope. Aerogel composites described herein enable specific capabilities that have not been previously possible with aerogels or through other means, for example, the ability to efficiency slow impacts from bullets and other ballistic bodies using a lightweight (<2 g/cm.sup.3 density) material, bear load as structural members at a fraction of the weight of conventional technologies, or simultaneously serve as a structural or flexible material that stores electrical energy.

A hand-carried ballistic shield for use by civilians and law enforcement is disclosed, comprising a ballistic metal sheet, one or more handles or attached accessories, and a bolt buffer element between the ballistic sheet and the handles or accessories. The sheet may be further faced with ceramic or hardened steel in order to improve ballistic performance against hardened core or higher velocity bullets. As a preferred method of manufacture, any holes in the ballistic metal sheet are made solely through mechanical means such as drilling or punching.

A screening element in the form of a sintered monolithic body has an outer face and an opposing inner face with an area of the faces greater than 100 cm.sup.2 and the mean thickness E.sub.m between the faces greater than 4 mm. At least a portion of the outer face is textured such that Ai decreases from the inner face from a value of i greater than at least 50, A.sub.75?0.2?A.sub.0 and A.sub.95<0.9?A.sub.0, 0.03?A.sub.0<A.sub.95<0.5?A.sub.0 and A.sub.100<0.1?A.sub.0. Ai being the area occupied by the material alone along a plane i of internal section at the intermediate thickness E.sub.i and i corresponding in percentage to the fraction of the mean thickness E.sub.m at plane i.