Experimental Investigations on Shear Thickening Fluids as “Liquid Body Armors”: Non-Conventional Formulations for Ballistic Protection
Florentina Alexe,
Ciprian Sau,
Ovidiu Iorga,
Gabriela Toader,
Aurel Diacon,
Edina Rusen,
Claudiu Lazaroaie,
Raluca Elena Ginghina,
Tudor Viorel Tiganescu,
Mircea Teodorescu,
Arcadie Sobetkii
Affiliations
Florentina Alexe
Research and Innovation Center for CBRN Defense and Ecology, 225 Olteniţei Ave., 041327 Bucharest, Romania
Ciprian Sau
Research and Innovation Center for CBRN Defense and Ecology, 225 Olteniţei Ave., 041327 Bucharest, Romania
Ovidiu Iorga
Research and Innovation Center for CBRN Defense and Ecology, 225 Olteniţei Ave., 041327 Bucharest, Romania
Gabriela Toader
Military Technical Academy “Ferdinand I”, 39-49 George Cosbuc Boulevard, 050141 Bucharest, Romania
Aurel Diacon
Military Technical Academy “Ferdinand I”, 39-49 George Cosbuc Boulevard, 050141 Bucharest, Romania
Edina Rusen
Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnologies, National University of Science and Technology Politechnica Bucharest, 1-7 Gh. Polizu Street, 011061 Bucharest, Romania
Claudiu Lazaroaie
Research and Innovation Center for CBRN Defense and Ecology, 225 Olteniţei Ave., 041327 Bucharest, Romania
Raluca Elena Ginghina
Research and Innovation Center for CBRN Defense and Ecology, 225 Olteniţei Ave., 041327 Bucharest, Romania
Tudor Viorel Tiganescu
Military Technical Academy “Ferdinand I”, 39-49 George Cosbuc Boulevard, 050141 Bucharest, Romania
Mircea Teodorescu
Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnologies, National University of Science and Technology Politechnica Bucharest, 1-7 Gh. Polizu Street, 011061 Bucharest, Romania
Arcadie Sobetkii
SC MGM Star Construct SRL, 7 Pincota Street, 021784 Bucharest, Romania
Shear thickening fluids (STFs) have garnered attention as potential enhancers of protective capabilities and for the optimization of Kevlar® armor design. To assess the possible shear thickening properties and potential application in ballistic protection, ten formulations were developed by employing polyethylene glycol (PEG) or polypropylene glycol (PPG), along with fumed silica or Aerosil HDK®. Rheological characterization facilitated the identification of formulations displaying shear thickening behavior. The potential integration of the selected shear thickening fluids (STFs) into Kevlar®-based composites was investigated by studying the impact resistance of Kevlar® soft armor structures. Also, high-velocity impact testing revealed that the distance between aramid layers plays a crucial role in the impact resistance effectiveness of Kevlar®–STF composite structures and that there is a very narrow domain between optimal and undesired scenarios in which STF could facilitate the penetration of Kevlar. The introduction of STF between the Kevlar sheets disrupted this packing and the energy absorption capacity of the material was not improved. Only one formulation (PEG400, Aerosil 27 wt.%) led to a less profound traumatic imprint and stopped the bullet when it was placed between layers no.1 and no.2 from a total of 11 layers of Kevlar XP. These experimental findings align with the modeling and simulation of Kevlar®–STF composites using Ansys simulation software (Ansys® AutoDyn 2022 R2).
