[Corvettaholic]

After reading about EAP's, it got me thinking about stuff, which eventually led to my new and wonderous idea of electromagnetic assisted body armor! Now kevlar works pretty well (what IS kevlar anyway?), but I think it'd make a big difference if you could take a few 100 feet per second off the velocity of whats coming at you. Figure you'd use a halbach array, using electromagnets instead of permanent, and keep them juiced so long as you want the extra protection. Would a strong magnetic field help slow the bullet? If not, why not have alternate poles next to each other, so it will pull the bullet left or right and hopefully the bullet will be more likely to glance off the kevlar plate as opposed to hitting it dead on.

[Scratch-]

Kevlar is polymer fibers, this site talks about it:
http://www.psrc.usm.edu/macrog/aramid.htm

I believe that most bullets aren't made of iron alloys which is strongly affected by magnetic fields. Even if you had a magnetic field it would attract the iron alloy rather than repel it (unless for some strange reason it was magnetized). The only effect I can think of that a magnetic field would have on a non ferrous alloy would be eddy currents, the magnetism inducing a electric current which generates an opposing magnetic field (I'm pretty sure that’s how it works), but they aren’t very strong. You would need a large power supply to have much effect on the bullet.

Awhile back I had an idea of using nanotubes with interwoven memory shape alloy fibers. When an impact is detected with pressure sensors current flows through the memory shape alloy making it contract, tightening the nanotubes like a slipknot. This would alloy for highly flexible armor (unless your getting shot) and low profile armors such as a layer of armor in your shirt or jacket.

[Mitch]

http://www.lbl.gov/MicroWorlds/Kevlar/KevlarPutting.html

[Corvettaholic]

well scrap the magnetic shielding idea then. but I imagine you could still deflect bullets? I mean so they hit the kevlar plate at an angle. Even though bullets aren't that responsive to magnets, think a strong mag field could still angle the tip to the left or right?

[Scratch-]

I don't think it would have much effect.