Penetration Resistance Of Polymer Crosslinked Aerogel Armor Subjected To Projectile Impact

Abstract

The goal of this study is to develop a body armor prototype which is lightweight, strong, and improves on the back face deflection of current armor. By incorporating ballistic grade ceramic tile, aerogel, and ballistic grade Kevlar a body armor plate was developed which stopped an NIJ Level III bullet with a minimal back face deflection. The armor plate developed has a larger areal density than the current body armor, but the back face deflection is an improvement. Prior to testing, a computer simulation, completed in ABAQUS, was created to understand what results might be expected after testing the armor plate. A new ballistic fiber, Dyneema, was also introduced into the configuration of the armor plate. The purpose of this fiber was to replace the ceramic tile with the goal of reducing the weight of the body armor further. Since Dyneema is currently known to stop an NIJ Level III bullet; it was incorporated into an armor plate along with crosslinked aerogels in order to reduce back face deflection.