Novel Textile Constructions for Puncture Resistant Inflatable Composites

To solve the Armys need for a novel fabric with minimum thickness and weight, which provides a 30% improvement in resistance to punctures, cuts and tears, Applied Processes, Incorporated (API) proposes to successfully develop a fabric with the desired properties. The successful development of the proposed fabric is based on the experience of the API research team in developing composite fabrics for many military and industrial end uses. In Phase I, API will research and characterize novel fibers, fabrics, innovative manufacturing processes and composites capable of meeting the improved target specification of inflatable structure fabric. The API research team will fabricate a tubular braided fabric structure with an included air containment bladder. The team will also fabricate and characterize composite fabric samples combining existing and developmental fibers, woven fabrics, and durable coatings. A matrix will be developed comparing all candidates to the existing fabric used for inflatable applications and will enable the best candidates to be used for the construction of models for evaluation. In Phase II, API will refine the inflatable fabric by scaling the pilot process to a full commercial equipment process and provide larger fabric quantities for construction of inflatable structures for testing and evaluation by the Army.