Ballistic performance woven fabrics

The superior performance of UD structure over woven structure has been described in many publications. According to Scott, around 30% improvement in either weight or performance has been observed in both flexible armour and hard composites. Lee et al. ° found that the ballistic limit for angle-phed laminates gives a higher value than the woven fabric-based composites, as the density of the panels increases. It has also been established that a 100% UD fabric panel absorbs 12.5-16.5% more energy than a 100% woven fabric panel. ... 

Zhou Y, Chen X, Wells G. Influence of yam gripping on the ballistic performance of woven fabrics from ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibre. Compos B Eng 2014 62 198-204. 

Bogdanovich, A.E., Singletary, J.N., 2000. Ballistic performance and applications of 3-D woven fabrics and composites. In Proceedings of the 9th European Conference on Composite Materials, ECCM9, Brighton, UK. 

Although the mechanical properties of constituent yams (fibres) are important for balhstic protection, the construction of fabrics can also have a significant effect on balhstic performance. Both nonwoven and woven fabric stmctures of various types with or without resin matrices have been used for ballistic applications. Typical nonwoven fabrics are felts , which are constmcted by randomly orienting and mechanically interlocking the fibres in a form of a web. In contrast, woven fabrics are constmcted through interlacing warp and weft yams. 

The enhanced ballistic performance of the 3D honeycomb fabrics may be attributed to the conjunction area between adjacent layers, which increases the yam friction in the conjunction area and the dimensional stability of the fabric as a whole. The increased yam friction in the conjimction area restrained yams from pulling out of the fabric in comparison to 2D plain woven fabric. Furthermore, both warp and weft yams in the conjunction area are better controlled with higher friction force caused by the higher yam density in the area. The reduced ballistic performance of 3D angle-interlock may be due to the difference in the number of intersections... 

Aramid fibers are highly oriented fibers derived from aromatic polyamides, with Kevlar and Nomex as two prominent examples. The woven fabric of aramids combined with phenolic resins produces high-performance composites for ballistic applications, where the projectile energy is mainly absorbed by the fiber with a high strength and modulus (Gardziella et al, 2000). 

Armordon is also a polypropylene based self-reinforced plastic manufactured by Don Low Ltd. The production process is similar to the production of PURE and combines two different types of PP ensuring a strong affinity between the two components of the tape. Further processing steps may use the tapes directly for winding or tape placement processes or they can be woven into fabrics. Typical applications can be found in the security industry as armor, since Armordon shows an excellent ballistic performance. Additionally, applications in the automotive sector and consumer products such as luggage are imaginable. 

Tam T. Types of material and their application. In Ashock B, editor. Lightweight ballistic composite. Cambridge Woodhead PubUshing and Maney PubUshing 2006. p. 189-209. Karahan M. Comparison of baUistic performance and energy absorption capabilities of woven and unidirectional aramid fabrics. 7kth7/(es /2008 78(8) 718-30. 

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