Development of high performance laminated armor materials composed of alumina ceramic and fiber fabric for personal and vehicular ballistic protection to NIJ ballistic levels III and IV

Abstract

The objective of this project is to develop a line of high performance products for personal and vehicular protection, using a system of laminated materials consisting of ceramic (alumina) on the impact side and with a high-performance fiber covering for the backing material. The use of ceramics for ballistic protection began in the 1960s, but what little information was available in the literature did not demonstrate how to prepare a product with high performance and which had a price favorable to commercialization. Phase 1 of this project involves: 1) ceramic level: commercial ceramic products made from alumina will be tested in the form of sixsided tiles, in sheets and samples will systematically be prepared with different purities and microstructures; 2) level of fiber backing material: different types of commercial fiber with high ballistic performance will be tested, with the proposed innovation of testing the efficiency of the use of mixtures of layers of different fibers; and 3) adhesive level: different polymeric adhesives will be tested, which implies the optimization of the lamination process in the autoclave. The second phase of the work will involve the design and development of the products, that’s to say, the optimization in terms of materials and geometry. (AU)