Light Weight Material for Ballistic Armor

Weight reduction has become a primary concern in the development of future ballistic armor systems, which are beyond the capability of existing materials. Thus novel lightweight, ultrahigh strength materials are needed to meet the ever-increasing challenges of weight reduction. The proposed SBIR Phase II program will involve: (1) designing, developing, and manufacturing a novel class of lightweight nanostructured metal matrix composites (NMMCs) with ultrahigh strength,hardness, and high impact energy that can be used for future lightweight ballistic armor package systems; (2) further identifying the underlying technical issues that govern the fabrication and performance of these novel composites; (3) using this knowledge to design and manufacture novel lightweight ballistic armor systems that exhibit high survivability characteristics as required by the Army; and (4) implementing technology transfer for commercial production of armor products that satisfies all of the required performance metrics. These objectives are based upon the findings and success of Phase I that demonstrated: (1) the feasibility of Al-based NMMCs that can be potentially applied to lightweight ballistic armor systems, and (2) the feasibility of selecting mechanical milling as a process to fabricate nanostructured NMMCs powders, followed by consolidation into bulk geometries. The proposed NMMCs are based upon innovative concepts demonstrated through recent developments in the synthesis of both nanostructured materials and metal matrix composites (MMCs). Specifically, we will develop and manufacture nanostructured Al alloy based NMMCs that are reinforced with sub-micrometer- or micrometer-sized B4C or SiC particles. The proposed Phase II research will focus on issues in optimizing parameters such as processing and material systems used. In addition to ultrahigh strength and lightweight properties, other advantages of NMMCs over current armor materials include low cost, better formability, multi-hit capability, and compact size. The NMMCs are intended for lightweight armor materials that will improve both the design and the fabrication of future armor package systems with unprecedented weight reduction.