JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #79 - March 2013 - 89

fabric

2D/3D woven fabrics for ballistic protection

The woven construction of high-performance
fibres plays an important role in ballistic protection. This paper reports on recent research on
the engineering design and evaluation of 2D and
3D fabrics, emphasising the influence of ballistic
fabrics’ construction on ballistic performance.
Based on preliminary research, a new fabric
concept with material continuity and enhanced
yarn gripping was put forward. Accordingly,
fabrics with enhanced yarn gripping were engineered, manufactured, and evaluated. The results showed improved ballistic performance in
terms of both projectile penetration and trauma
impact. Based on the new concept, 2D and 3D
fabric constructions were discussed for ballistic
protection. The construction of 3D panels was
investigated and it was found that angle-layering for creating panels improves the isotropy
and hence impact performance. Hybrid design
of ballistic panels from the commonly used
woven and UD fabrics indicated that it is possible
to improve ballistic performance by using layer
materials according to the impact mechanism.
Finite element (FE) simulation was also used to
investigate strain distribution in ballistic fabrics
and panels, providing information for the optimisation of fabric construction.

Dr Xiaogang Chen, Reader in Textile Engineering and Materials,
leader of Ballistic Textiles Research Team, School of Materials,
Dr Ying Wang, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Ballistic Textiles
Research Team, Mr Yi Zhou, PhD Student and Research Assistant, Ballistic Textiles Research Team, School of Materials,
University of Manchester,
Dr Danmei Sun, Lecturer, School of Textiles,
Heriot-Watt University

allistic protection remains an important issue in modern
times, due to the threats coming from regional conflicts,
terrorism, and some anti-social activities. The main users
of ballistic personal protection equipment are soldiers, police
officers, security staff, and celebrities including politicians.
Personal protection equipment has been used throughout
history in all regions of the world [1]. Leather and metals were
among the main materials used for personal protection before
more powerful firearms were employed in wars. The invention
of modern firearms has certainly challenged the engineering
design of protection equipment. The basic requirements for
ballistic protection equipment are the prevention of projectiles
from perforating, reduction of blunt trauma to the human body
caused by ballistic impact, low weight and flexibility to guarantee the wearer’s mobility, and thermal and moisture comfort.
Protection equipment is available in many forms; the most
commonly used being the ballistic vest that protects the torso of
the wearer.
Engineering of body armour includes three aspects. The first
is the selection of materials. The current approach consists in
using high-performance fibres to produce fabrics as layering
materials for the body armour panel. New methods are being
searched but, so far, no solution has been found to replace fibre
technology. The second aspect is the fabric construction from
the selected high-performance fibre. The important issue here is
to design the most effective fabric structure, which is the most
energy absorbent against the ballistic impact. Some fundamental research has attempted to reveal fabric failure mechanisms.
Such work has influenced the engineering design of fabrics. The
third aspect for body armour engineering is the design of the
ballistic panel. The use of layering materials in the right place is
an important issue.

State of the art
Ballistic impacts encountered in personal protection are normally low-mass, high-velocity impacts onto an assembly of soft
and non-homogeneous materials (usually woven fabrics made
from high-performance fibres such as aramid and high-performance polyethylene) by a more rigid projectile travelling at a
high velocity. Understandably, a ballistic impact event represents a complex mechanical process. The effectiveness of the
protective material is measured on two criteria, i.e., the ability
to stop the projectile from penetrating, and the ability to absorb
and migrate the impact energy. The principles used to minimize
the effects of energy transfer from a projectile are explained by
No79 March 2013 /

jec composites magazine 89

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #79 - March 2013

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