Characterization and ballistic performance of thin pre-damaged resin-starved aramid-fiber composite panels

Cerise A Edwards,Rebecca L Livesey,Stephen L Ogin,Matthew Oldfield,Bryn J James,Richard P Boardman,David A Jesson

doi:10.1177/00405175211013424

Cerise A Edwards, Rebecca L Livesey + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1177/00405175211013424

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Abstract

Military personnel use protective armor systems that are frequently exposed to low-level damage, such as non-ballistic impact, wear-and-tear from everyday use, and damage during storage of equipment. The extent to which such low-level pre-damage could affect the performance of an armor system is unknown. In this work, low-level pre-damage has been introduced into a Kevlar/phenolic resin-starved composite panel using tensile loading. The tensile stress–strain behavior of this eight-layer material has been investigated and has been found to have two distinct regions; these have been understood in terms of the microstructure and damage within the composite panels investigated using micro-computed tomography and digital image correlation. Ballistic testing carried out on pristine (control) and pre-damaged panels did not indicate any difference in the V50 ballistic performance. However, an indication of a difference in response to ballistic impact was observed; the area of maximal local out-of-plane deformation for the pre-damaged panels was found to be twice that of the control panels, and the global out-of-plane deformation across the panel was also larger.

Highlights

Military personnel use protective armor systems that are frequently exposed to low-level damage, such as non-ballistic impact, wear-and-tear from everyday use, and damage during storage of equipment
19 in addition to damage caused by ballistic impact, protective personal armor can be exposed to other types of damage that can be introduced during everyday wear-and-tear, or through cleaning processes
The prepared stack was placed in the press (Ho€fer Presstechnik A-4753 with 500 mm Â 500 mm plates) which had been pre-heated to 165C, as indicated by the preheat temperature

Summary

Introduction

Military personnel use protective armor systems that are frequently exposed to low-level damage, such as non-ballistic impact, wear-and-tear from everyday use, and damage during storage of equipment. Low-level pre-damage has been introduced into a Kevlar/phenolic resin-starved composite panel using tensile loading. VR sites manufactured using Kevlar fabric are generally of two different types: resin-starved or fully impregnated composites. The mechanical behavior of Kevlar fibers and fabrics, both as materials in their own right and in the form of polymer matrix composites, has been the subject of a number of investigations, including studies on ballistic performance.5–. 19 in addition to damage caused by ballistic impact, protective personal armor can be exposed to other types of damage that can be introduced during everyday wear-and-tear (e.g., during storage of armor or repeated low-level damage such as knocks and abrasions during use), or through cleaning processes (e.g., laundering[20])

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