In-situ Characterization of the Dynamic Behavior of Impact Mitigating Polymers
Abstract
Polymers are an important class of engineering materials used in civilian and military applications, of which the most prominent is advanced armors. Strength-to-weight and toughness-to-weight ratios are some of the appealing properties of polymers that prompt their integration in armor designs since it helps mitigate impacts and increase the survivability of soldiers and assets subjected to hypervelocity impacts without the weight penalty associated with other engineering materials. Despite the available knowledge, there remains a gap in our fundamental understanding of the intrinsic mitigation mechanism of these materials, which in turn limits the innovation in the design of armors to incremental rather than transformative. This may result in exposing our women and men in uniforms to elevated levels of threat due to the increased sophistication of adversariesÕ attacks. Thus, the goal of the proposed project is to gain a fundamental insight into the mechanics of impact mitigating polymers during loading scenarios simulating hypervelocity projectile impact. With this new insight, new material or material systems can spring into innovating monolithic or multi-layers advanced armors to protect or improve the survivability of mobile and fixed assets of the United States Armed Forces. The objectives of the proposed research are: (I) engineering a fully integrated de novo experimental mechanics methodology capable of simultaneously interrogating the materials undergoing ultra-high strain rate loadings; (II) use the de novo experimental approach to in-situ load and characterize mechanical behavior of impact mitigating polymers; (III) train students from underrepresented minorities on the state-of-the-art instrumentations and mechanics of non-traditional material as well as the engineering of effective armors, in turn preparing them for successful careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) while inspiring and motivating young cadre of high school and community college students to pursue STEM degrees with specific focus on acquainting the students with DoD scientific research endeavors. The approach to accomplish the goal and objectives of the proposed project is to couple the capabilities of laser-induced shock wave generation mechanism with Terahertz Time-Domain Spectroscopy (THz-TDS) to simultaneously load and characterize materials of interest while engaging students in hands-on research experiences. The expected outcomes of the proposed research will help in transforming our fundamental understanding of impact mitigating polymers under dynamic loading scenarios, which in turn will motivate the validation of existing mechanics models or the synthesis of new models to design better impact tolerant structures to resist loadings resulting from impacts by hypervelocity projectiles. Additionally, the cadre of students engaged in the research will be trained for an easy transition into the STEM workforce to advance and maintain the global competitiveness of the United States.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Feb 14, 2019
- Source ID
- W911NF1810477
Entities
People
- George Youssef
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- Office of the Secretary of Defense
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies