Evaluation of magnetostrictive composite coated fabric as a fragment barrier material

Abstract

Over the last decade a surge in fragment barrier research has led to investigation of numerous materials and material augmentations in the attempt to improve the ballistic performance of systems designed to protect personnel, vehicles or infrastructure from impact and blast loads. One widely studied material augmentation approach is the use of coatings, often polymers, to enhance the performance of protection systems constructed from metal, concrete, composite and fabric materials. In recent research the authors have conducted the first experimental study of the ballistic performance of fabrics coated with a magnetically responsive polymer. Zero field impact experiments on coated fabric targets showed a 61% increase in impact energy dissipation, although the coated targets were not competitive with neat fabrics on a protection per unit mass basis. Under an applied field of 110 kA m−1, the ballistic performance of the coated fabric was reduced. The reduction in performance may be attributed to a reduction in material damping and an increase in material modulus for the magnetostrictive component of the coating. Analysis of the coated fabric response to magnetic preloads suggests that coating tensile stresses and coating–fabric interface stresses induced by the applied field may also adversely affect ballistic performance.