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Let's say that someone throws an M67 hand grenade into a completely enclosed room - i.e. the door is the only entrance/exit.

How would someone build a suit of armor to functionally negate the following factors?

  • thermal effects of the grenade blast

  • the alveoli-destroying shockwave caused by 180 grams of Composition B explosive going off

  • the shrapnel the grenade launches

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2 Answers 2

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Something like an atmospheric driving suit or ADS, as shown below, might not be perfect but it would certainly be a good place to start. The M67 is actually designed for minimal thermal output so the shock and overpressure are the hardest to mitigate, if a suit of armour can take those then the steel fragments (which are not actually shrapnel apparently) and flame are relatively minor. The fragments may cause minor dents in an ADS but the suit is designed to take 900psi, plus safe margin. Modern suits have 6 hours of sealed operational life support but if working in atmosphere a good engineer should be able to rig an exchange system to use outside air to extend that indefinitely without a direct link that would render the suit sensitive to overpressure.

enter image description here

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    $\begingroup$ Question: the suit is designed against high pressure, but does it protect against sudden high pressures? $\endgroup$
    – Demigan
    Commented Sep 4, 2021 at 8:16
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    $\begingroup$ @Demigan EOD plus diving suit = perfect combo $\endgroup$
    – red
    Commented Sep 4, 2021 at 10:55
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    $\begingroup$ @Demigan They're designed to protect the diver from changes in pressure caused by a tether line snapping and them falling to working depth, not quite the quick shock of an explosion I'll grant but still a rapid change in pressure. $\endgroup$
    – Ash
    Commented Sep 4, 2021 at 14:25
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    $\begingroup$ @IanWizard Almost certainly, I would not expect such a suit to keep it's rating after exposure to a blast any more than an EOD suit is reused after being at ground zero without being refurbished or it is advisable to reuse a bulletproof vest that has been hit before without changing out the fibre panels. $\endgroup$
    – Ash
    Commented Sep 5, 2021 at 1:18
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    $\begingroup$ @Ash Good point. I also realize that I was imagining the suit being actively used in a high-pressure environment, which is entirely not the context of the question. It seems my brain made assumptions without me realizing it. $\endgroup$
    – The Busy Wizard
    Commented Sep 10, 2021 at 1:02
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Just an EOD suit, perhaps with a closed off helmet?

just an EOD suit

EOD suits are made of thick material to both absorb a blast and catch shrapnel. They are specifically designed it, I dont see much you can do but add extra layers.

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