Smart Small Arm Protective Inserts

The ultimate goal of this SBIR project is to develop a smart small arm protection insert embedded with a sensor network capable of self-inspection when interrogated by a separated handheld device. Phase I will focus on two highly innovative and promising technologies: a distributed fiber optic sensor and a conductive paint sensor. The PI’s extensive prior work has proved the concept and demonstrated the advantages of these sensors. In particular, the distributed fiber optic sensor can potentially locate and quantify damage in the inserts, while the conductive paint is likely to provide a simple and cost-effective solution. The Phase-I objective is to demonstrate the technical feasibility of the sensors embedded inside armor inserts for detecting ceramic cracking and delaminations. An innovative interrogation technique is proposed to significantly improve the spatial resolution and accuracy of the fiber optic sensor. Technical obstacles including closed cracks, sensitivity degradation due to bonding and insulation coating will be addressed. Critical issues associated with embedding sensors, such as survivability under the high-temperature and high-pressure manufacturing process of the inserts, will be investigated. Finally, the sensors will be embedded into the current armor inserts for evaluation of their damage detection capability. The ballistic integrity of these inserts will also be verified.