Department of Clothing and Textile Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Forensic Sci Int. 2010 Apr 15;197(1-3):21-9. doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2009.12.016. Epub 2010 Jan 13.
Blunt force assault is a growing issue worldwide. In New Zealand, recorded cases of grievous blunt force assault increased steadily from 1011 in 1999 to 2139 in 2008. In many cases of blunt force assault victims are struck on parts of their body covered by clothing, yet the use of damage to apparel as forensic evidence largely appears to have been overlooked. The current research investigated blunt force impact (BFI) damage in common apparel fabrics and the effects prior and post-laundering had on this damage. Two 100% cotton fabrics (single jersey knit, bull drill) were impacted as single and double layers using an impactor representative of a hammer face, the force transmitted through specimens was measured and impulse calculated. Impacting and laundering were completed cumulatively to establish the effects of impact damage on new, dimensionally stable (laundered 6 times) and aged fabrics (laundered up to 30 times), and the effects of laundering on impacted specimens. BFI left recognisable patterns of damage in specimens, although the extent of this damage varied. Laundering after the impact event altered the visible and microscopic damage. Laundering previously impacted fabrics produced holes in some specimens and some fibres exhibited failure characteristic of blunt force impact.
钝器攻击是一个在全球范围内不断增长的问题。在新西兰，记录在案的严重钝器攻击案件从 1999 年的 1011 起稳步增加到 2008 年的 2139 起。在许多钝器攻击案件中，受害者身体的某些部位被衣服覆盖，但作为法医证据的服装损坏在很大程度上似乎被忽视了。目前的研究调查了常见服装面料中的钝器冲击（BFI）损伤，以及洗涤前后对这种损伤的影响。使用代表锤子面的冲击器，对两种 100%棉织物（单针织汗布、粗斜纹布）进行了单层和双层冲击，测量了通过试样传递的力并计算了冲量。冲击和洗涤是累积进行的，以确定冲击损伤对新的、尺寸稳定的（洗涤 6 次）和老化的织物（洗涤多达 30 次）的影响，以及洗涤对受冲击试样的影响。BFI 在试样上留下了可识别的损伤模式，尽管损伤的程度有所不同。冲击事件后的洗涤改变了可见和微观损伤。洗涤以前受冲击的织物在一些试样上产生了孔，一些纤维表现出钝器冲击的特征性失效。
