Optically clear ballistic resistant polymer nanocomposites

The modern warfighter is equipped with the best personal protective equipment available today, but that is not enough. Thirteen percent of casualties in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm were ophthalmic injuries and only 3% of those injured were wearing protective goggles. There is a real and immediate need for a lightweight, optically clear visor that will provide adequate protection to a soldier. To address this critical need, Luna Innovations proposes a visor made of an optically clear ballistic polymer nanocomposite to provide increased ballistic, abrasion, and chemical resistance, while reducing areal density. The benefits of the polymer nanocomposite are many. The one component system is easier to manufacture than a hard coating over a substrate. There are no delamination or incompatibility (refractive index, coefficient of expansion) issues as would be found in coating/substrate systems. Finally, the polymer nanocomposite is expected to have a uniform abbe number, which is crucial for optical accuracy through a curved face shield. The purpose of the proposed Phase I project is to demonstrate the feasibility of an optically clear ballistic polymer nanocomposite to increase performance while decreasing areal density. This phase will culminate in ballistics testing of sample panels in an effort to demonstrate NIJ Armor Type IIIA rating.