Abstract
Primary requirements of personal protective armour are light-weight, enhanced protection level, and low cost. This work explores the use of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) cross-ply laminates and polycarbonate (PC) sheet to develop hybrid soft armour panels (SAP) for personal protection. Three SAP configurations were prepared and analysed both numerically and experimentally. These configurations were: (1) panel composed of only UHMWPE laminate, (2) panel consisting of UHMWPE laminate and two layers of PC, and (3) panel with UHMWPE laminate and three layers of PC. The ballistic performance of these SAPs was evaluated in terms of back face signature (BFS) and number of perforated layers against the 9 mm × 19 mm lead core bullet having a striking velocity 430 m s−1. Corresponding finite element models of SAPs were also developed using LS-DYNA and validated with experimental results. Further, a parametric study was performed to obtain the cost-effective hybrid solution of SAP and BFS as per IS-17051: 2018. Results revealed that SAPs retained their ballistic performance in terms of BFS for up to 52.5% substitution of the backing layers of UHMWPE laminate with PC sheets. Analyses confirmed that strategic replacement of backing layers with PC sheets is a cost-effective solution to design SAPs.
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