Light Weight Material for Ballistic Armor

Weight reduction for present and future armor systems is critical to rapid deployment of military contingencies, and ultra-light weapon platforms will be the cornerstone for dominating the future battlefield. In general, Al-based alloys are the materialcandidate for structural applications where weight saving is of primary concern. However, the highest tensile strength of commercial Al-based alloys is in the range of 550~600 MPa, and usually does not exceed 700 MPa even by optimizing thermomechanicaltreatment or by other strengthening approaches. The technology of nanostructured materials is uniquely poised to revolutionize materials for advanced Army systems. We propose to develop and manufacture a novel class of ultra-high hardness and strength,high impact energy, light-weight, nanostructured metal matrix composites (NMMCs) that can be used for future lightweight ballistic armor package systems. The Nanostructured Aluminum Metal Matrix Composites (NMMCs) are intended for lightweight structuralmaterials that will improve the design and fabrication of future armor package systems with unprecedented weight savings (e.g., a decrease in 80% as compared to conventional materials), and for the development of the capability to design, optimize, andmanufacture cost-effective armored vehicle transport systems with survivability and performance characteristics that exceed those of current systems.