[Mark Hamilton]

I was wondering, if today one were to make armour for use in, say the 13th century, and had access to a full range of modern materials, what would be the best material?

Would steel still be the best option, or is there something else available now that would be more effective? I realise that modern steel is superior to medieval steel, but is there anything else that would be even better?

[Nat Lamb]

As far as metal goes, no, steel is the best. Titanium is stronger for weight, but far less dense, so to get the same strength you would need unfeasably thick plates. Tungsten is awsome hard... but heavy as hell. I can't think of any other metals that are in the same ballpark for combo of strength/weight/hardness. For other materiels I cant realy say, I don't even know enough about modern plastics / composite materials to realise how much I don't know.

[Jean Thibodeau]

Depleted Uranium ? if it's good enough for the Abrams tank ..........

Seriously, I have no idea if Uranium works well in small thin plates for plate armour and it is very heavy.

Residual radioactivity is probably low but not low enough to have in close contact with one's skin.

Another alternate modern material might be some sort of very hard to cut semi-rigid plastic that would also absorb blunt impact. A high tech cooling or warming system might also be an advantage for combat endurance. Ventilation needing no openings in the armour that could give 100% coverage with no breath or vision holes being needed.

While we are at it the above is sort of like an " IRONMAN " full body armour ...... Hmmmmm: Well maybe the question is more for substitute materials having the same look and design as regular steel plate armour but both stronger, lighter and corrosion proof.

[Steven H]

I'm gonna suggest a polycarbonate, nylon laminate. Polycarbonate because of it's high strength to weight and nylon because of it's flexibility. Polycarbonate is used for riot shields and bullet proof glass. And my nylon wasters are nearly indestructible.

But I'm not structural engineer so their may be something I overlooked.

Cheers,
Steven

[Mark Hamilton]

Interesting ideas! Not sure if I'd want to walk around in a suit of depleted uranium though! At least not until I've sired my share of kids! I dare say an irradiated cod piece would play havoc with one's 'equipment'!

Its curious idea that's played on my mind for a while, whether, with 1000 years of material science and bio mechanics, we'd be able to make more effective armour than a smith in the 12th/13th century. Certainly my main query would be toward some sort of resin/polycarbonate or advanced alloy that would give better protection to weight, and allow greater functionality to the wearer. Does anyone know if there are any non-rigid materials that could do the job?

[Steven H]

[Nathan F]

this is interesting i must say. i have thought about it myself
if anyone works at the pentagon any ideas
seriously though its true anatomically these suits were perfect in some cases and there are cases of armorers watching customers sleep to accurately gauge their bodies.
i know that recently when nasa had to make their suits the copied many techniques for segmented armour construction.
and i heard that more recently many armies are looking at it again for more complete protecion for soldiers.
but war has changed so the type of armour u mentioned went out of use and armour went backwards in design.
on material maybe carbon fibre? or modern balitic ceramics if they can stop a rifle round maybe they could make a good breast plate?

[Jared Smith]

[Justin King]

Some of the shape memory alloys may have interesting qualities in this regard. Also the mentioned liquid and semi-liquid compounds that instantaneously harden to a solid or near solid state under impact are in fact being experimented with for possible applications in body armor and other types of armor.

[Justin King]

Oh, yeah, don't forget about exploding armor -no, really!!! - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reactive_armour -AKA "explosive reactive armor" and other types of reactive armor-obviously most of these are not practical for body armor but it's too cool not to mention. I want some of this on my truck (hit me, I dare you...)

[Jason M. Rogers]

Steel is no longer even a realistic contender. There are already so many off the shelf armors in use today.

Bullet resistant vests such as offered by second chance can also be purchase with a stab resistance rating. A stab proof level 3 vest would not be able to be penetrated by anything medieval tech could bring to bear on the battle field. Even ballistae would not be able to pierce it, the wearer would be tossed aside before any object could compromise the vest. Unless the wearer was pined against a massive object and could not be moved and even then the wearer would probably just be crushed.

You may also want to look into the latest armor breakthrough called dragon skin. It is made of titanium and ceramic laminate "coins" sown onto a backing. It will stop 7.62n mm round and is more flexible and breathable the ballistic panels or ceramic level 4 sappy plates in armor on the modern battle field. This is the stuff that the secrets service uses because it offers level 4 protection and is less bulky than a level 3a kevlar vest. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Skin_(body_armor)

No sword, dagger, spike, spear, axe, arrow, bolt or anything else can penetrate modern stab prof armor. Hammers and lances and the like could still deliver crushing injuries because the stuff is very flexible.

[Maurizio D'Angelo]

hi all,
I do not know the English term, but there is a plastic product and patented by an American industry. This is used for the windows of military aircraft. It is transparent, flexible, hard impacts, with a better resistance of steels.
But I would not ever see a medieval armor made with this material.

Ciao
Maurizio

[Mark Hamilton]

[Maurizio D'Angelo]

[Christian Henry Tobler]

Hi Jason,

[Glennan Carnie]

[Steven H]

[Jean Thibodeau]

[James Arlen Gillaspie]

As a plate armour specialist, I'd like to clear something up; full plate armour is not something that comes into its own until the late 14th/ early 15th centuries. It reaches its height of ergonomic efficiency in the early 16th century, although I prefer the aesthetics of the mid 15th in Italy and the last quarter of the 15th c. in the Germanies, especially the Augsburg style. In the 13th century, mail is still the premier armour in Western Europe, though plate and other rigid additions are beginning to assume greater and greater importance.

[Ron Reuter]