Bulletproof Performance of Composite Plate Fabricated Using Shear Thickening Fluid and Natural Fiber Paper

Abstract

In the munitions industry, there have been considerable efforts spent to develop low-cost, simply fabricated, easily wearable, and biocompatible bulletproof armors. Recently, long fiber-reinforced composites and shear thickening fluids (STFs) were inceptively utilized to improve bulletproof performance with solid or fabric materials. In this study, Hanji, a cornstarch suspension, Korean traditional long fiber paper, and a well-known STF, respectively, were examined for bulletproof applications to evaluate their own effects on bulletproof performance; tests were carried out in the field and finite element analysis (FEA) was performed to evaluate the behavior of materials regarding with perforated clay areas from in-field tests. It was found that both Hanji and STF influenced the bullet penetration by two factors, namely the momentum of bullet and stress propagation. The cornstarch suspension, rather than Hanji, showed outstanding performance in decreasing the linear velocity of the bullet and minimized the stress propagation to the protecting object. Thus, although STF performed a key role in bulletproof performance, Hanji also proved to be a suitable material as an exterior covering for absorbing the initial impact stress and maintaining the durability and stability of the armor itself.

A Review on Natural Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composite for Bullet Proof and Ballistic Applications

“…Corn-starch colloidal suspension is one of the best examples of natural STF that possess advantages such as extraordinary dissipation under impact or high shear force. Cho et al [ 150 ] in their study have utilized the application of natural STF, cornstarch suspension with Korean traditional long fiber paper, Hanji to observed their effect on bulletproof performance. Through the evaluation, it was found that both Hanji and STF influenced the bullet penetration by two factors which are momentum and stress propagation.…”

“…Despite of using thermoset or thermoplastic as the matrix, many research has been done on shear thickening fluid (STF) on its performance of excellent ballistic and bulletproof properties. The STF is a dense suspension whose viscosity increase rapidly with increase shear rate and this materials has widely been studied for puncture resistant products and bulletproof applications [149,150]. Its ability to assist synthetic fibers especially Kevlar by enhancing their ballistic penetration strength and impact energy absorption have been widely reported [151][152][153][154][155].…”

Unexpected Method of High-Viscosity Shear Thickening Fluids Based on Polypropylene Glycols Development via Thermal Treatment

“…STFs are used to impregnate aramid fabrics to improve the protection of soft body armor [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]. Starch-based STFs show shear thickening properties suitable for soft body armor [ 5 ]. Furthermore, the use of STFs in combination with aluminum panels has also been shown in the literature [ 6 ].…”

Mechanical properties of graphene oxide–silk fibroin bionanofilms via nanoindentation experiments and finite element analysis

“…The complex stress and strain fields on the materials that are generated during mechanical tests can be examined through finite element analysis (FEA) [51][52][53]. Several researchers have investigated the overall indentation behavior using FEA [54][55][56][57][58][59][60].…”