BALLISTIC RESISTANCE OF FLEXIBLE COMPOSITE (KEVLAR-129/LINE-X xs 350)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Egyptian Armed Forces.

2 Prof., Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport.

Abstract

The use of textile and flexible composites for the containment of high-speed fragmentation is well established; the design of body armour, fragmentation curtains and bomb blankets are end products, routinely deployed. In this paper an experimental program is conducted to test a new composite material of (3D-weaveTM Kevlar-129/ LINE-X xs-350), which is a two-component spray-in-place flexible 100% solids Polyurea/Polyurethane system. Ballistic response of this new composite is compared to that of (3D-weaveTM) Kevlar-129; the multi-layered targets of the two materials are subjected to impact by 7.62x39 mm normal projectiles in the velocity range of 300-450 m/s. The average energy absorbed per one layer of the new composite and Kevlar targets is calculated. Calculations show that the composite targets are generally more efficient than the Kevlar targets in defeating impacting projectiles. Moreover, post firing examination of Kevlar/line-x targets shows recoverable behaviour and localized damage after the ballistic impact; this means small trauma effect in case of using this composite as body armour.