question: How do bomb suits actually protect a person from a bomb?
comment: Like most personal protection it's designed to spread out or block forces that would affect you. A bomb injures in two stages the first stage is a blast wave of high pressure air that slams you like say a concrete wall. This can lead to bruising, inner bleeding, broken bones, ruptured organs. The next step is fragmentation, parts of the bomb or specially designed fragments fly in that air blast and pierce you like mini bullets. So a bomb suit does two things, softens the initial bomb blast and provides a physical barrier with Kevlar+metal against shrapnel. So the helmet and lower part cushion your head and spine. The whole suit is made out of foam+Kevlar+plastics+strategically placed armor. It's also very fire resistant and there is huge downside it's heavy as hell. These things can go upwards of 40kg... they're also incredibly insulating so that means they get incredibly hot on the inside. Now not this, bombs are actually horrible weapons. Notice how terrorist in recent years adopted guns and truck and other things. The thing with bombs is they're omni-directional and they get blocked easily. So if you go with a suicide vest into a huge crowd you won't actually kill all that many people. The two people closes to you will die for sure, but their mass well bodies will stop the vast majority of the blast wave and fragmentation. Bombs are more weapons of terror then actual effective killing tools. Minefields are a good example. They're more an ambush prevention tool and a tactical roadblock then a killing weapon. They work by making an area uncertain, if you actually knew the scope of a mine field you could send heavy animals, drones, anti mine vehicles, prisoners whatever in a straight line to clear in pretty fast. A single hand gun can kill way more people then a single bomb of even 100 times size of the handgun. Bombs/Granades are incredibly unimpressive in an open field incredibly ineffective as most of them work via small caliber fragmentation and most well equipped troops wear protective gear against small arms anyways. URL_1 Even mortars are quite ineffective on open grounds and are best used against entrenched positions where the enemy can get a concentrated blast since scoring direct hit on a moving target is night impossible. URL_2 URL_0
passages: Parts of the bomb suit overlap for maximum protection. The suit protects in several different ways. It deflects or stops projectiles that may come from an exploded device. It also stops or greatly decreases the pressure of the blast wave being transmitted to the person inside of the suit. Most bomb suits, such as the Advanced Bomb Suit use layers of Kevlar, foam, and plastic to accomplish these functions.
   Bomb suit
  
  A bomb suit, Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) suit or a blast suit is a heavy suit of body armor designed to withstand the pressure generated by a bomb and any fragments the bomb may produce. It is usually worn by trained personnel attempting bomb disposal. In contrast to ballistic body armors, which usually focus on protecting the torso and head, a bomb suit must protect all parts of the body, since the dangers posed by a bomb's explosion affect the entire body.
   The pieces of a bomb suit overlap with other pieces for maximum protection whether the wearer is facing toward or away from an explosive device. The suit protects in several ways. It deflects or stops projectiles that may come from an exploded device. The second way it protects is by stopping the blast wave from being transmitted and injuring the wearer. Usually, Kevlar, foam, and plastic are layered and covered with fire retardant materials to accomplish these things. It is important that the fibers are strain-rate sensitive, or become more rigid if struck by an object traveling at high speeds, according to a ballistics engineer working for bomb suit manufacturer HighCom Security.
   The ABS is prominently shown in the movie "The Hurt Locker," about U.S. Army bomb-disposal troops serving in Iraq.
  
  Section::::Helmet.
   In order to maximize protection, bomb suits come with a pair of Interchangeable gloves and wrist guard attachments. This gives the wearer's hands mobility and protection needed for the task; as well as avoiding cross contamination of any evidence found (fingerprints). 
  
  EOD technicians wear bomb suits during reconnaissance, 'render safe' or disruption procedures on potential or confirmed explosive threats. Such suits must provide a tremendous degree of protection from fragmentation, blast overpressure, thermal and tertiary effects should the threat device detonate. At the same time the suit can significantly hinder their mobility or situational awareness.
  
  Section::::History.
   The threats posed by an Improvised Explosive Device, commonly known as an IED, can also include chemical or biological agents. This has led to significant advancements since 1999 in the design of bomb disposal suits and helmets. For example, a modern bomb suit may address both conventional blast threats and chemical/biological agents by incorporating a chemical protective undergarment and a helmet compatible with a Self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA)
   Developers must consider more than just protection, since a person must work on a stressful task that also requires fine motor skills while wearing a bomb suit. Other factors that must be considered include
  
  BULLET::::- cushioning the spine and head in case the wearer is knocked over by a blast
  
  BULLET::::- thermal heat protection
  
  BULLET::::- freedom of motion to work efficiently
  
  BULLET::::- maximum weight restrictions
  
  BULLET::::- rapid removal, such as for emergency medical treatment
  
  BULLET::::- defogger performance to prevent the helmet visor from clouding
  
  Section::::Protection.
   The materials needed to make bomb suits protective do not release body heat generated by the wearer. The result can be heat stress, which can lead to illness and disorientation, reducing the wearer’s ability to accomplish the task. The most recent models of bomb suits include battery-operated cooling systems to prevent heat stress. One manufacturer’s study claims that the internal cooling systems on 39 lbs and 81 lbs bomb suits helped the wearer stay at workable temperatures for up to an hour, even in a hot environment.
  
  Section::::See also.
  
  BULLET::::- Anti-handling device
  
  BULLET::::- Clearance diver
  
  BULLET::::- Counter-IED efforts
  
  BULLET::::- Fuse (explosives)
   The first EOD suits consisted of Kevlar type material and/or armor plates made of metal or fiber-reinforced plastic. Their purpose was to protect the wearer from penetrating injuries by fragments from an exploding device. In the mid-1990s, research showed that these materials alone were not effective against the blast wave itself, which can cause blast lung and other potentially deadly internal injuries. Modern EOD suits have layers of Kevlar, plating, and foam to provide protection from both fragments and the blast wave itself.
   Section::::Ergonomic issues.
   Recently, the U.S. National Institute of Justice supported a program to develop a national testing standard for EOD suits so that the protection afforded by a given suit can be described in a standard way. The goal is to have a means to compare the performance of different designs with each other and with expected threats, similar to the NIJ standards that are widely used to test and compare body armor or materials used to stop ballistic threats.
   BULLET::::- A full duplex, wireless system is also available that features a very low level of RF radiation in transmission, to minimise the risk of activating IEDs at the device, and a very sensitive receiver ensuring that the second party can always be heard.
   BULLET::::- Overpressure
  
  BULLET::::- 52nd Ordnance Group (EOD)
  
  BULLET::::- 753rd Ordnance Company (EOD)
  
  BULLET::::- EOD CoE
  
  BULLET::::- Explosive Ordnance Disposal Badge
  
  BULLET::::- Gegana Indonesian police bomb disposal specialists
  
  BULLET::::- Navy EOD
  
  BULLET::::- TEDAX Spanish bomb disposal organisation
  
  Section::::External links.
  
  BULLET::::- Development of a Bomb Suit Standard, U.S. Army Natick Soldier RD&E Center
  
  BULLET::::- 360° view of a Royal Australian Navy Clearance Diver wearing a bombsuit at DefenceJobs.gov.au
  
  BULLET::::- Bass et al., 2006, Comparative testing of effectiveness of different helmet/shield designs at reducing head acceleration due to blast.
   The outer material is constructed from flame retardant Nomex/Kevlar mix which protects the user against burns.
  
  Section::::Protection.:Overpressure.
  
  The pressure wave from a blast can cause severe damage to the lungs, eardrums and cause trauma in other body areas. The design of the suit is such that both sets of ballistic panels limit the effects of the overpressure on the body while the collar completely encloses the neck area and overlaps the helmet.
  
  Section::::Protection.:Impact.
   Modern body armor may combine a ballistic vest with other items of protective clothing, such as a combat helmet. Vests intended for police and military use may also include ballistic shoulder and side protection armor components, and bomb disposal officers wear heavy armor and helmets with face visors and spine protection.
  
  Section::::PPE by usage.:Combat.:Head.
   Protective suit is an umbrella term for any suit or clothing which protects the wearer. Any specific design of suit may offer protection against biological and chemical agents, particle radiation (alpha) and/or radiation (delta and gamma), and may offer flash protection in the case of bomb disposal suits. Most forms of industrial clothing are protective clothing. Personal protective equipment includes:
  
  Section::::Full protective garments.:Complete suits.
  
  The word "chemsuit" is sometimes used to mean a real chemical-protection suit, as well as fictional.
  
  BULLET::::- Boilersuit
  
  BULLET::::- NBC suit
  
  BULLET::::- Hazmat suit
  
  BULLET::::- Bombsuits
  
  BULLET::::- Fire proximity suit
   For use in hot environments, an optional cooling system is available. This is worn under the suit and consists of a Nomex body suit with a capillary tube network stitched into it. This is connected to a 2-litre water reservoir and pump that circulates ice water around the body. The cooling rate is adjustable so that a comfortable working temperature can be maintained.
  
  Section::::Protection.:Fragmentation.
   BULLET::::- The suit can “knit” itself around the hair follicles on Empowered's scalp, giving the appearance that the cowl of the suit is really an accessory mask. This may be one of the only “abilities” of the suit that is not reliant on Emp being the user as this function occurred with a male wearer of the suit who stole it from Emp in an attempt to gain its abilities.
   In the "Mass Effect" series of video games, several types of aliens use variants of PPPSs, most notably the character Tali, who suffers from a compromised immune system. In Moebius's comic "Edena", the residents of the Nest City wear similar suits at all times to protect themselves from diseases, as do the denizens of Javecek in Carla Speed McNeill's comic "Finder." In Bethesda's "Fallout" games"," the Hazmat Suit is an armor item which can be equipped on a character to prevent radiation damage.
   Such suits (level B in the US) are not vapor-tight and thus provide a lesser level of protection. They are, however, worn with an SCBA, which may be located inside or outside of the suit, depending on the type of suit (encapsulating or non-encapsulating). They more closely resemble the one-piece Tyvek coveralls often seen used in construction and demolition work. Yet, Level B splash suits may also be fully encapsulating suits which are simply not airtight.
   The greatest threat to the IED technician arises from fragments emitted from the bomb and other objects in the surrounding area which can enter the body at supersonic speeds. The lightweight, removable, composite ballistic panels fitted to the suit protect the upper torso, shoulders, neck, arms and legs while maintaining lightness and maneuverability. In addition, the suit is supplied with rigid ballistic panels to provide added protection to the chest, lower abdomen and groin areas. These have been tested at speeds of up to 1667 m/s.
  
  Section::::Protection.:Heat.
   The user has the option of switching off the transmitter when he reaches a device while still being able to receive incoming signals. The user can also hear his own voice at a reduced level so that he is conscious of the signal being received by the second party. Both systems operate from standard 9v rechargeable batteries.
  
  Section::::Protection.
  
  Section::::Protection.:Cooling system.
   Section::::Communication systems.
  
  Two systems are available which are compatible with the speakers and microphone fitted to the helmet, as standard.
  
  BULLET::::- The hardwire system is a compact unit and can be used with most standard reels of two wire firing cable without causing distortion. It is supplied with a headset and microphone for use by a second party and avoids the need for a 'push to talk' type system.
   Other than gloves, any other article of clothing or protection worn for a purpose serve to protect the skin. Lab coats for example, are worn to protect against potential splashes of chemicals. Face shields serve to protect one's face from potential impact hazards, chemical splashes or possible infectious fluid.
   Such suits (level A in the US) are gas or vapor-tight, providing total encapsulation and the highest level of protection against direct and airborne chemical contact. They are typically worn with a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) enclosed within the suit.
  