Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) Dyneema® SK-76 fibersare widely used in personnel protection systems. Transverse ballistic impact onto thesefibers results in complex multiaxial deformation modes such as axial tension, axialcompression, transverse compression, and transverse shear. Studies on single fibershave showed reduction in tensile strength due to multiaxial deformation and projectilegeometry induced stress concentration. In this work, we present the preliminaryexperimental results of quasi-static multiaxial loading of Dyneema® SK-76 yarns usinga 0.30 caliber fragment simulating projectile (FSP) to create a foundation for a failuremodel. Dyneema® SK-76 yarns are loaded at different yarn starting angles using anFSP projectile and the transverse failure loads are measured. Preliminary experimentalresults show a little variation in the estimated axial loads with increasing starting angles.This is attributed to the ‘bluntness’ of the FSP’s radius of curvature compared to thediameter of the fibers within the yarn in contact with the projectile.
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