Open-Source Composite Lamellar Armor for Civilian Fragment Protection: Design, Materials, and Community Manufacturing Methodology
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: An open-source design for civilian fragment-protection armor manufactured from commercially available materials without military supply chains or specialized equipment. The system uses a bamboo-metal composite sandwich chassis (laminated bamboo board with stainless steel wire mesh interleaf) with tiered ceramic face upgrades (porcelain, industrial alumina, or silicon carbide). Based on historical Chinese lamellar armor (札甲) principles, lamellae are assembled into flexible strip modules loaded into a textile carrier in a brick-wall offset pattern providing double-layer coverage at all points. Includes borax-oil preservation protocol for tropical durability, community workshop production methodology (10-20 sets/day with 8-10 people), and civil defense gap analysis documenting the absence of personal fragment protection in all national civil defense doctrines worldwide. Addresses the primary civilian injury mechanism in modern drone and missile warfare. All specifications, fabrication instructions, and analysis released under CC BY-SA 4.0 for unrestricted use. Package contains: (1) Technical summary paper, (2) Complete step-by-step fabrication guide with materials sourcing, preservation protocol, tiered protection comparison, and community production workflow.
Author: Tan, Daniel Fook Hao
Language: English
Subfield: Materials Chemistry
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7140179053
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