Microstructure and mechanical properties of glass-ceramics from the CaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 system for ballistic protection

Abstract

The ballistic protection may consist of a single material or a combination of them, the latter being known as mixed shielding, which usually involves the union of different classes of materials, such as ceramics (armor sacrifice) and metals and polymers (main reinforcement ). The extensive use of ceramics as armor sacrifice times back to World War I, and since then the research and development of new ceramics to be used for this purpose has been growing over the years. According to several patents related to the theme, a material to be used as sacrificial protection should have high hardness and high fracture toughness. Low density is a further desired advantage. Glass-ceramics from the MgO - Al2O3 - SiO2 system may present values of hardness and fracture toughness that makes them able to perform well. Thus, a major goal of this work is to investigate new compositions of glass precursors for obtaining, via controlled crystallization, glass-ceramics with high hardness and fracture toughness. The microstructure of the glass-ceramics will be developed via heat treatments and their properties will be analyzed as a function of the crystallized fraction, present phases and their morphology in order to obtain the relationship microstructures-properties in order to allow proper development of pieces of high performance. Best ceramic plates will be forwarded to ballistic impact tests at accredited organs (e.g., DCTA) to test the effectiveness of the developed material. This project is proposed as a continuation of the studies developed during the candidate's Masters. (AU)