Abstract
Kevlar is widely used in ballistic applications to protect against hand pistols, due to its high strength, lightweight, and high impact resistance. Compared to other fabrics, Kevlar is considered a typical material due to its strength properties for bullet-proof vests. This project aims to develop a hybrid composite and investigate its behavior under ballistic impact both experimentally and theoretically. Ceramic/woven fabric reinforced epoxy/polycarbonate multilayered armors were developed. The initial layer of defense against the bullet is silicon carbide (SiC). The intermediate composite is made up of aramid fabric (Kevlar) reinforced epoxy (KEV/EPX). The rear layer was made of polycarbonate (PC). A 9 mm FMJ bullet was fired in 310 m/s, towards samples of 900 cm2. To simulate the ballistic test, Ansys Workbench Explicit Dynamics and Ansys AUTODYN 3D were used. An integrated methodological approach of experimentation and simulation was followed to assess the behavior of samples. Obtained results showed that SiC+ KEV/EPX+ polycarbonate was able to stop the 9mm FMJ bullet and indicated that armor layers perforated without penetration. Back Face Signature BFS was also measured, which is within the allowed limit. The ceramic layer absorbs the largest percentage of the overall energy absorbed, compared to fiber-reinforced epoxy and polycarbonate, which reach 77.8% of the entire energy.
Highlights
Integral armor systems are one of the most recent advancements in lightweight armor
Based on the danger and weight limits, sandwich systems often incorporate an exterior ceramic layer consisting of silicon carbide (SiC), aluminum nitride (Al2N3), boron carbide (B4C), or alumina (Al2O3) [4]
The results revealed that when subjected to a 9 mm FMJ bullet, only very minimal deformation was seen in the fiber-cement layer (8mm), the Kevlar 29 layer (2.4mm), and the steel 1006 plate (3mm) [8]
Summary
Integral armor systems are one of the most recent advancements in lightweight armor. Multiple-layer armors that are structured from sequenced layers of different materials are shown to be the most effective, rather than Monolithic systems consisting of either steel materials, composite materials, or ceramic materials [1,2,3]. A principal aim of this research is the fabrication of body armor from hybrid composites and to investigate the ballistic behavior experimentally and theoretically using Ansys R20. The front layer is made of 0.3 cm of ceramic (silicon carbide), the middle layer is made of 6 pre-preg fiber-reinforced polymers (Kevlar reinforced epoxy type Sikafloor-156), and the rear layer is made of 0.4 cm of polycarbonate. This design was based on existing research to offer the needed protection against ballistic as a high-velocity impact while keeping the cost, weight, and thickness to a minimum
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