Characterization of a Polymer Composite Section of Foreign Armor
Abstract
The chemical and physical characterization of a foreign polymer composite of Russian armor was performed. This report has identified and quantified the composition of an unknown cored section of Russian composite armor. The material was identified as a woven glass in an epoxy matrix. The environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) results determined that the reinforcing fiber is E glass, as opposed to S glass or the Russian equivalent of S glass, Vertex. B glass is inferior to S glass in both armor and structural applications; however, it is often chosen as a reasonable tradeoff because it is much more affordable. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy results identified the matrix to be an epoxy resin-likely a diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A. Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) clearly showed that all specimens contain approximately 90% fiber and 10% organic resin by weight. The cored composite density was also examined. All density measurements were close to 2.0 g/cu cm, which is consistent with the typical density of a highly filled glass/polymer composite. It was found that the bulk and local section density values were approximately equal within a reasonable margin common in the composite materials industry. No designed-in density gradient vs. length was observed.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2000
- Accession Number
- ADA374886
Entities
People
- Donovan Harris
- Gumersindo Rodriguez
- James M. Sloan
- Seth R. Ghiorse
Organizations
- United States Army Research Laboratory