Hybridized Thermoplastic Aramids: Enabling Material Technology For Future Force Headgear; Conference paper

摘要

U.S. Army ballistic helmet manufacturing has not changed significantly in nearly 30 years. Advances in U.S. helmet technology have been largely in shell design, improved aramid fibers, and helmet liner and suspension systems. The Army is currently replacing its first composite ballistic helmet, Personnel Armor System Ground Troops (PASGT), with the Advanced Combat Helmet (ACH). ACH has undergone ballistic testing and system analysis with improvements to weapons and body armor interfacing issues. Still, ACH uses some of the same materials (butyl rubber toughened phenolic resin with aramid fabric reinforcements) and the same process technology as its 30 year old PASGT predecessor. The current research effort has focused on identifying and resolving technology barriers that limit a new and improved generation of ballistic materials from being considered for use in future helmet systems. Both historical and contemporary perspectives of ballistic helmet technology are provided as rationale for the development of alternative helmet materials and their associated processes. The primary technology barriers are four-fold: structural durability (static and dynamic deformation), contiguous preform construction (less cutting of the reinforcement without wrinkling), hybridization of dissimilar fibers and resins, and low cost manufacturing (rapid heating, consolidation, and cooling of tools and parts). Flat plates and full helmet shells were molded to quantify the performance and benefits of hybridized materials to meet current and future demands for increased ballistic mass efficiency.