Highly Damped, High-Strength, Puncture-Resistant Fabric for Multi- Threat Protective Uniforms. Phase 1

摘要

The Phase I project was very successful in demonstrating the feasibility of using a superelastic Nitinol shape memory alloy to improve cut, tear, and puncture resistance of military Battle Dress Uniform (BDU) fabric. The Nitinol reinforcement increased cut-resistance by 20 times and tear resistance by 2.5 times the values for current BDU fabric. Cotton/Nylon plain weave fabrics were fabricated in small lots with excellent quality for testing. Various reinforcements were added to demonstrate enhanced mechanical performance. The force-displacement tensile curves from the Modified Grab Test results show that the addition of Nitinol to the fabric doesn't significantly alter flexibility level. The fabrics experienced a 50 to 60 percent increase in breaking strength over the plain fabric with the 5 and 10 Nitinol fibers per inch. Calculations of areal density do not show significant difference between reinforced fabric and plain fabric. Fabric does not kink unless subjected to very severe loads. Wrinkles cannot develop because the shape memory effect returns the Nitinol reinforcement to original shape. Nitinol provides an electrical conduit in the uniform that minimizes shock and static discharge. The Phase I effort has positively demonstrated the feasibility of gaining improved protection in textiles without sacrificing fabric flexibility.