Preparation and Impact Resistance Properties of Hybrid Silicone-Ceramics Composites

This article presents the method of preparation a new type of ballistic armor based on hybrid silicone-ceramic (HSC) composites with considerable flexibility. An experimental study on the ballistic behavior of HSC composites connected with soft body armor is presented against FSP.22 fragments. The effect of Al2O3 ceramics on the ballistic performance of HSC composite was investigated, and the fragmentation resistance process of the composite armor combining the HSC composite and soft aramid insert is clarified. Furthermore, impact resistance tests made with a drop tower which allows for a gravity drop of a mass along vertical guides onto a sample placed with an energy of 5 J were performed. The results presented in this paper show that the HSC composites can be successfully used as a hard body armor. However, they do not exhibit the properties of absorbing the impact energy generated during the drop tower tests. The test results show that the ballistic performance of composite armors is influenced by the hardness and Young modulus of ceramics and soft body armor panel. Additionally, in the article, the results of mechanical properties of silicones used for preparation of composites were presented and compiled to determine their role in the performance of impact protection.

Enhancing the Ballistic Performances of 3D Warp Interlock Fabric Through Internal Structure as New Material for Seamless Female Soft Body Armor Development

This paper investigates the effects of warp yarns ratios on the ballistic performances of three-dimensional (3D) warp interlock p-aramid fabrics. Four 3D warp interlock variants with different binding and stuffer warp yarns ratios were designed and developed. Except for warp yarns ratios, similar fabric parameters and manufacturing conditions were considered. Two-dimensional (2D) woven fabric having similar material characteristics and recommended for female seamless soft body armor are also considered for comparisons. Five ballistic panels, one from 2D plain weave fabric and the rest four from the other 3D warp interlock variants were prepared in a non-angled layer alignment and non-stitched but bust-shaped molded form. The ballistic test is carried out according to NIJ (National Institute of Justice) standard-level IIIA. Back Face Signature (BFS) was then modeled and measured to compute both trauma and panels’ energy-absorbing capability. The result showed significant ballistic improvement in the 3D warp interlock variant with optimum warp yarns ratios over traditional 2D plain weave fabrics. 3D warp interlock fabric panel made with 66.6% binding and 33.3% stuffer warp yarn ratio revealed both lower BFS depth and higher energy absorbing capacity (%) than other panels made of 2D plain weave and 3D warp interlock fabric variants.

Optimization of Soft Body Armor with Laminates of Carbon–aramid Fiber and Polyester Fiber Using the Taguchi Method

Body armor is a vital instrument for Tentara Nasional Indonesia-Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) and Polisi Republik Indonesia-Indonesian National Police (POLRI) to protect themselves from any projectile penetration and the spread of explosive material. One type of body armor is soft body armor, commonly used for handling community riots. The forming material of soft body armor should be strong and flexible. For that, selecting appropriate materials to optimize their ability is necessary. This research aims to develop soft body armor with carbon–aramid and polyester laminate as materials using a quasi–static impact test. The method used was the Taguchi experiment, the advantage of which is its ability to optimize the desired quality characteristics based on the best factor. The results showed that the optimal combination of polyester and carbon–aramid composite materials showed a median result from the quasi–static impact test of 61 259.91 N with the optimum compositions of factor D level 1, factor A level 2, factor B level 1, factor E level 2, factor C level 2, factor F level 1, and factor G level 2.