Blast and Impact Resistance of Polyurea Coatings on Metallic and Non-Metallic Materials

Texas Research Institute Austin (TRI/Austin) proposes to utilize various software packages to model and design polyurea-based armor for improved blast and impact resistance of the Marine Corps Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV). Two commercial polyurea systems and one previously developed TRI/Austin proprietary system will be evaluated during the Phase I effort. Mechanical property testing will be performed so that the materials can be accurately represented in the modeling scenarios. Substrate compatibility will also be examined for each material. TRI/Austin will utilize the modeling programs to determine the appropriate coverage and thickness of polyurea armor to be applied to the EFV in order to maximize crew protection while minimizing armor and vehicle weight. University of Texas at Austin (UT/Austin) will partner with TRI/Austin in this effort by performing additional adhesion and modeling studies. The results of these modeling studies will be corroborated with blast and fragmentation impact testing during Phase II. Ultimately, this project is intended to result in a practical, lightweight, polyurea-based armor that can be easily applied to the EFV to enhance crew survivability during blast events.