ISSN:
0032-3888
Keywords:
Chemistry
;
Chemical Engineering
Source:
Wiley InterScience Backfile Collection 1832-2000
Topics:
Chemistry and Pharmacology
,
Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Production Engineering, Mining and Metallurgy, Traffic Engineering, Precision Mechanics
,
Physics
Notes:
The ultra-high strength/modulus, extended chain polyethylene fiber (Spectra® fiber) composite has shown great potential as a lightweight armor material with its extraordinary capability of absorbing the kinetic energy of projectiles. But the relatively low melting point of this fiber (∼ 145°C) has caused concerns regarding the effect of temperature rise during the impact/penetration process on the performance as armor material. In this article, an analysis of temperature rise in projectile and the fiber composite during the impact/penetration process is described. Combining the simulation of impact deformation by finite element analysis and the simulation of temperature rise by a finite difference approximation of the related dynamic equations, the temperature rise caused by the projectile/composite interaction was estimated. Results show that there is a significant temperature rise at the projectile/composite interface due to the friction but that the short length of time involved in the process and the low thermal conductivity of Spectra fiber composite keep the temperature rise in a very small region (in the order of 0.001 cm) around the interface during the impact/penetration process. Consequently, the volume that is affected by the temperature rise is very small, in the order of total 0.001 cm3 around the projectile, and this is too small to generate any detectable effect on the armor performance. After the projectile is stopped, however, substantial heating of fiber composite can occur under specific conditions as the result of heat flow from the hot projectile embedded in the composite. This heating of fibers, however, is a postmortem effect and hence inconsequential to the ballistic performance of the composite armor.
Additional Material:
11 Ill.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pen.760340211
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