Lightweight Composite Armor Material

Rocky Research has developed a novel armor material (COMBAM) that provides lower cost and better performance than Kevlar. Preliminary samples show at least 15% mass savings compared to conventional ballistic armor, for protection against the same threat level. COMBAM also has enhanced ability for thermal / heat protection. Thermal energy absorption of the new armor is also much greater than other armor systems. Phase I work will include further optimization of the armor to provide protection against higher threat levels while maintaining or increasing the mass advantage. Optimization will include improvements in composition of matter, as well as integrating COMBAM material into more complex armor systems. Prior work at Rocky Research has shown COMBAM to be manufacturable by methods similar to other materials prepared in house. Low-cost semi-automatic manufacturability will be maintained as optimized systems are developed in Phase I. Phase I will include fabrication of samples for testing. Limited ballistics tests will be performed on COMBAM during Phase I at one or more protection levels. Verification of the ability to meet threat level(s) specified by the SBIR topic description in Phase I will provide a foundation for design and manufacture of optimized armor systems in Phase II.