Improving Ballistic Performance of Polyurethane Foam by Nanoparticle Reinforcement
Abstract
We report improving ballistic performance of polyurethane foam by reinforcing it with nanoscaleTiO2particles. Particles were dispersed through a sonic cavitation process and the loading of particles was 3 wt% of the total polymer. Once foams were reinforced, sandwich panels were made and impacted with fragment simulating projectiles (FSPs) in a 1.5-inch gas gun. Projectile speed was set up to have complete penetration of the target in each experiment. Test results have indicated that sandwich with nanophased cores absorbed about 20% more kinetic energy than their neat counterpart. The corresponding increase in ballistic limit was around 12% over the neat control samples. The penetration phenomenon was also monitored using a high-speed camera. Analyses of digital images showed that FSP remained inside the nanophased sandwich for about 7 microseconds longer than that of a neat sandwich demonstrating improved energy absorption capability of the nanoparticle reinforced core. Failure modes for energy absorption have been investigated through a microscope and high-speed images.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2009
- Source ID
- 10.1155/2009/794740
Entities
People
- H. Mahfuz
- M. F. Uddin
- S. Jeelani
- Shaik Zainuddin
Organizations
- Florida Atlantic University
- Office of Naval Research
- Purdue University
- Tuskegee University