This invention relates to a cover for a body armour plate.

It is known to form a breastplate resistant to ballistic impacts from ceramic material. One particular known ballistic protective plate comprises a layer of sintered silicon carbide edged with a urethane trim, and a layer of polyethylene having an ultra-high modulus of elasticity.

A significant disadvantage of such a ceramic plate is that if the plate is dropped such that its ceramic layer contacts a hard surface such as concrete, the plate cracks and cannot then be reissued.

Accordingly, it is known to provide a fabric pocket into which the plate can be placed, the pocket having a foam-faced insert for protecting the plate. US-A-3,873,998 describes a spall shield made of layers of ballistic fabric and a spacer container for the ceramic plate made of a foamed plastic.

It is an aim of the invention to provide a protective cover which is more robust and/ or more convenient than the known fabric pocket.

Accordingly, the invention provides a removable cover for a body armour plate, according to claim 1.

The plate can easily be removed from the cover of the invention and inspected for damage.

The strong fabric layer may form a spall shield. In one embodiment, the strong fabric is nylon, such as "ballistic" nylon.

The foamed layer may for example be of high-density, closed cell polyethylene foam.

The edging may comprise an elastomeric moulding and may be of a synthetic thermoplastic elastomer such as polyurethane.

A particular embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional view of a cover according to the invention and a body armour plate;

Figure 2 is a sectional view of the cover of Figure 1 in place on the plate;

Figure 3 is a rear view of the cover of Figure 1 in place on the plate; and

Figure 4 is a section taken along the line A-A of Figure 3.

Figure 1 shows a known ballistic protective plate 1 comprising an outer layer of sintered silicon carbide 2 edged with a urethane trim 3, and an inner layer of ultra-high modulus polyethylene 4. The plate may optionally have a backing layer (not shown) of strong fabric such as nylon.

A cover 5 according to the invention comprises a spall cover 6 of ballistic nylon bonded to a foamed layer 7 of high-density, closed cell polyethylene foam such as Plastazote ®. An elastomeric edging 8, moulded from polyurethane, is either stitched or bonded to the spall cover 6. The edging 8 has a part 9 extending transverse to the spall cover 6 and foamed layer 7 and then a further, re-entrant part 10 extending parallel to the spall cover and foamed layer.

Figures 2, 3 and 4 show the cover 5 in place on the plate 1. The plate 1 is inserted into the cover 5 by pulling the edging 8 around the periphery of the plate 1 and the edging 8 then retains the cover 5 snugly in place.

The foamed layer 7 of the cover 5 prevents cracking of the plate if the latter is dropped from waist height on to a hard surface such as concrete. The plate can easily be removed from the cover 5 and inspected for damage. An inspection record can be attached, e.g. sewn or glued, to the cover or the plate plate to record the dates of inspections and the identity of the user.

The invention provides a protective cover which is more robust than prior art covers and can travel with an armour plate throughout its life.