Abstract
Multilayered armor systems (MAS) composed of relatively lighter materials with capacity to provide personal ballistic protection are being extensively investigated and used in armor vests. A typical MAS to stand high impact energy 7.62 mm bullet has a front ceramic followed by an aramid fabric laminate, such as Kevlar™. Since both the army and municipal police personnel might need to wear an armor vest, a large number of vests needs to be supplied. In the case of Kevlar™, one of the most expensive MAS material with an expiration time of 5 years, the possibility of its replacement by an equally ballistic efficient low cost material and more durable could be a relevant economical advantage. Natural fibers composites have recently been investigated as possible alternatives for Kevlar™. In particular, the fiber extracted from the coconut fruit, known as coir fiber, normally disposed as waste, could be a low cost material for this purpose. Therefore, the present work investigated the possibility of using coir fiber mantle, with different volume fraction, reinforcing epoxy composites as MAS second layer. It was found that 30 vol% of coir fiber composite displayed similar ballistic performance as compared to Kevlar™ with substantial economical advantage.
Highlights
The escalating armed conflicts in both large urban municipalities and conflagrated regions around the world, is motivating the development of more powerful fire arms and corresponding efficient armors
The front ceramic is followed by a lower density second layer, normally a polymeric material, with the aim of further reducing the remaining impact energy associated with a cloud of fragments generated from the shattering of the ceramic and projectile
The Weibull statistic analysis of depth of indentation measurements revealed that all values for the investigated coir fiber mantle, 10, 20 and 30 vol%, reinforced epoxy composites as multilayered armor system (MAS) second layer, Fig. 2 and 3, attended the standard[29]
Summary
The escalating armed conflicts in both large urban municipalities and conflagrated regions around the world, is motivating the development of more powerful fire arms and corresponding efficient armors. Single material and multilayered materials armors are used today depending on the power of the fire arm ammunition. A multilayered armor system (MAS) provides protection against high impact velocity projectile such as the caliber 7.62 mm. A typical MAS is basically composed of a front ceramic layer with the main purpose of absorbing most of the projectiles high impact energy. This is accomplished through the projectile rupture and erosion as well as by dynamic fragmentation of the ceramic[1,2,3,4,5]. The front ceramic is followed by a lower density second layer, normally a polymeric material, with the aim of further reducing the remaining impact energy associated with a cloud of fragments generated from the shattering of the ceramic and projectile
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