Study of the Blunt Effect of 7.62 mm Sniper Bullet on Protected Targets

This paper conducts a study on the blunt force effect of 7.62 mm sniper bullet on protected targets. The experimental setup involved testing 7.62 mm sniper bullet infiltrating gelatin targets protected by body armor plate at varying distances. The study obtained the dimensions of the blunt force indentation caused by the bullet on ballistic gelatin at distances of 400 m and 800 m, and subsequently developed a numerical model for simulation. This numerical model was employed, in conjunction with a self-developed human body susceptibility assessment software, to determine the severity of damage that may be caused by the sniper bullet hitting the chest of a protected human body at 400 m and 800 m. The study’s findings revealed that the sniper bullet at 400 m produced a depression diameter of about 123.9 mm and a depth of around 60.8 mm on the gelatin target, while the bullet at 800 m resulted in a depression diameter of about 80.7 mm and a depth of about 32.6 mm. Additionally, it was observed that after the bullet penetrated the body armor, the gelatin absorbed significantly less energy than the body armor due to the absorption of a large amount of kinetic energy by the body armor. Moreover, when the projectile failed to penetrate the body armor, the peak stress in the gelatine was approximately several megapascals under the blunt impact of the body armor. Utilizing the Human vulnerability assessment software (HVAS), the study determined the maximum abbreviated injury scale (MAIS) damage scores for hits to the upper right of the human chest at 400 and 800 m as 5 (critical) and 4 (severe), respectively. The corresponding new injury severity score (NISS) were 75 and 41, indicating a gradual decline in the probability of fatality from 96.8 to 41.1% with the increase in hit distance.