Self Repairing and Self Sensing Multifunctional Composites

Most composite armor systems are vlunerable to the damage if there are repeated attacks on the materials because the materials absorb the energy by breaking up internally. The next impact event can be disastrous. Even the most protective have plies which delaminate and fiber weaves that break, and when this material strength is lost, the armor loses protective value agaisnt penetration. This Phase II SBIR proposal suggests continuing on the path of commercialization while doing further development of self repairing and sensing armor systems for the Army’s building panels. Self repair chemicals reattach the internal composite armor plies and fibers and repair the damage by repairng (bonding) it back together. This approach restores stregnth lost by a ballsitic impact and is seen as valuable by the commercial armor producers. In the Phase II SBIR, NPD seeks to keep those functions, which find such interest by companies, while improving the armor further by strengthening the fiber aspect and adding chemistry functionalities.