ADVANCED COMPOSITES FOR BODY ARMOR APPLICATIONS

FORECASTS OF FUTURE BATTLEFIELD SCENARIOS PREDICT TACTICAL OPERATIONS THAT WILL REQUIRE SOLDIER MOBILITY AND MULTIPLE THREAT PROTECTION. PRESENT BODY ARMOR DOES NOT PROTECT AGAINST LOW MASS, HIGH VELOCITY PROJECTILES SUCH AS FLECHETTES. ADVANCED, LAYERED COMPOSITE BODY ARMOR WILL BE FABRICATED THAT STOPS FLECHETTES WHILE MAINTAINING EFFECTIVENESS AGAINST CONVENTIONAL BALLISTIC THREATS. PBT ORDERED POLYMER FILM AND SOL-GEL GLASS PROCESSING TECHNIQUES WILL BE COMBINED TO PRODUCE LAYERED COMPOSITES THAT CONTAIN HARD, TOUGH PBT/ SOL-GEL GLASS FILM/GLASS MATRIX SECIONS TO BLUNT OR FRAGMENTS. THIS ARMOR WILL BE MORE EFFECTIVE, 15 PERCENT LIGHTER IN WEIGHT AND LESS BULKY THAN METAL OR CERAMIC-FACED KEVLAR FABRIC. IT WILL ALSO BE NOISELESS DURING BODY MOVEMENT, NON-ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTING AND EASILY PROCESSED INTO CONTOURED PROTECTIVE VESTS AT LOW COST. THE ENHANCED COMPOSITE FRACTURE TOUGHNESS SHOULD ALLOW MULTIPLE HITS IN ADJACENT AREAS WITHOUT PENETRATION. PHASE I WILL DEMONSTRATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TWO CONCEPTS FOR THE HARD COMPOSITE LAYER IN RESISTING FLECHETTE PENETRATION. PHASE II OF THIS STUDY WILL INCLUDE THE DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF LAYERED COMPOSITE ARMOR VESTS AND HELMENTS FOR LABORATORY AND FIELD EVALUATION.