Technological aspects of body armour textiles for ballistic protection application

Abstract

The use of armor to protect personal items has a long history dating back to ancient times. The technology of body armor materials is being rapidly explored with a focus on the current understanding of significant energy absorbing mechanisms. New and innovative materials such as fibers, composites, laminates, and ceramics have been extensively utilized to meet the needs of modern military operations, technology-driven warfare tactics, and current terrorist threats. There are two types of personal protective equipment for military personnel including soft body armor and hard body armor. The overall performance of ballistic materials against ballistic impact depends not only on individual fiber types, but also on various combined factors such as multiple layers, yarn properties, fabric area density, target layer numbers, targeted layer sequence and textile construction. These types can be applied using woven/non-woven fabrics either 2D or 3D fabrics. Polymer matrix composites are increasingly being used in soft or inflexible structures to protect the human body and equipment from various types of ballistic attacks and associated hazards. As the current study shows, the ballistic efficiency of polymer-based composite body armor is primarily determined by the thickness, load, durability, stiffness and puncture resistance of the target material as well as the projectile parameters. Nowadays, the development of strong fibers with high breaking strength and high modulus has led to the use of textiles. However, the purpose of developing body armor is to minimize risks and protect people from serious injuries. The current status of ongoing innovations in ballistic fibers is then examined and analyzed and future forecasts are presented. On the other hand, Shear thickening fluids (STFs) have been used to improve the performance of fabrics for protective applications in ballistics. When STF is applied to a ballistic material, it only becomes rigid at the time of impact. The relative movement between yarn and fibers within a fabric result in severe shear deformation of the STF, increasing the ballistic capabilities of the fabric.