Idea for body Armor - M5 Fiber and liquid Body Armor
Idea for body Armor - M5 Fiber and liquid Body Armor
Although I have a lot of ideas for body armor and there are a lot of new emerging materials that could certainly replace those currently in existence, a thought I'd have for quite some time is mixing M5 fiber, an aramid fiber similar to kevlar, with the liquid body armor concept, a non-newtonian fluid designed to enhance the performance of the material against projectiles and bladed weaponry (such as knives). The basic problem with the liquid body armor program has largely been temperature, that is kevlar degrades rapidly at higher temperatures and doesn't last very long in the field after being heated to high temperatures, and becomes weaker. While there are currently measures being taken to reduce the heat of the liquid-body armor oven-treatment, an alternative would be to use a material that is more heat resistant, such as M5 fiber, and more chemically stable, that could not only withstand the heat of the oven, but also be a more heat resistant fiber in general. Not only is M5 more thermally stable than kevlar, but it is also twice as strong, more heat resistant than nomex, and resistant to UV and other chemicals kevlar is not, giving it a longer field-life. If combined together, M5 fiber could, in theory, be at least 7 times stronger than kevlar, and due to the lack of degradation in the oven, could be even stronger than that. M5 fiber is also more flexible and resistant to repeated impacts, meaning that it could survive against multiple hits, compared to kevlar fibers which are very brittle.
M5 Fiber is a fairly incredible material, being very similar to Kevlar in that it makes for a strong, bullet resistant material when woven in to a fabric, like those used in bullet proof vests. [1][2] The material is about as strong as kevlar, but is half the thickness and weight, meaning that twice as much material can be used in a similarly sized piece of armor. Furthermore, the material is much more flexible, and will yield when stretched, meaning that it won't tear or fracture, unlike kevlar fibers which are very brittle, similar to glass. With repeated impacts kevlar wears out quickly, generally unable to take more than 1-2 bullets in the same spot, but m5 fiber can be struck repeatedly. Flexible armor has it's own advantage, as armor that is more flexible can be worn without as much difficult and be much more comfortable. M5 fiber is more heat resistant than nomex, or the material that fire fighters use in their suits, and is very chemically stable, capable of resisting many chemicals that typically degrade kevlar, such as water, and UV radiation, that comes from sunlight. This makes the material much more durable, and thus has better properties for armor when the material could be exposed to fire or heat, such as in the military. For resisting the force of explosives, the flexibility compared with the fire resistance could prove extremely useful, and the longer life means that even if the armor is more expensive, it wouldn't need to be replaced as often. Instead of being replaced every 5 years, it would be every 10 or 20 years, making the price significantly lower in the long run for active duty military or police.
The liquid body armor concept is essentially the idea of combining a sheer-thickening fluid, in this case silica suspended in polyethylene glycol, with kevlar. [1][2][3] A shear-thickening fluid (STF), is a material behaves like a solid when it encounters mechanical stress or shear. In other words, it moves like a liquid until an object strikes or agitates it forcefully. Then, it hardens in a few milliseconds. This allows the material to be very flexible and mobile, but harden under stress (such as when being strong by a bullet), allowing the material to be comfortable and contour to the shape of the human body until it is struck by a bullet. In laboratory tests, the STF-treated Kevlar was found to be as flexible as plain, or neat, Kevlar, yet Four layers of STF-treated Kevlar could dissipate the same amount of energy as 14 layers of neat Kevlar, or were 3.5 times stronger. In addition, STF-treated fibers didn't stretch as far on impact as ordinary fibers, meaning that bullets didn't penetrate as deeply into the armor or a person's tissue underneath. This means that not only is the armor stronger, but was also more resistant to repeated impacts, and less likely to cause injury from kinetic energy to the user. Penetration isn't the only way an individual can be injured; even if a bullet proof vest stopped a bullet, the person could suffer a severe enough internal injury, such as internal bleeding or bruising, from a bullet for it to be lethal or cause severe harm. Not only was the armor better at stopping bullets from penetrating, but it also absorbed the energy better. In addition, the material responded more strongly to high velocity projectiles. Because higher velocity projectiles are traditionally better at piercing armor, this means that the armor would be better at resisting specialized armor piercing rounds, as well.
The armor is approximately 3.5 times stronger, and better at stopping projectiles. To make liquid body armor using shear-thickening fluid, researchers first dilute the fluid in ethanol. They saturate the Kevlar with the diluted fluid and place it in an oven to evaporate the ethanol. The STF then permeates the Kevlar, and the Kevlar strands hold the particle-filled fluid in place. Unfortunately, the heating process has a tendency to damage the kevlar and degrade it, and while it made it stronger, the kevlar tends to wear out so quickly that practical use in the field simply hasn't generally been a feasible reality.
Due to the similar mechanical properties of M5 fiber to kevlar, in theory it should be very easily usable in the same process. M5 fiber is not only twice as strong, but also more heat resistant, meaning that it should be able to, in theory, survive the process with far less, if any degradation. This means that the material could be 3.5 x 2 times stronger than current kevlar or, 7 times stronger. And due to less degradation and other mechanical properties (such as being more flexible and stretching less on impact), could in fact be even stronger. The synergistic effects of greater repeated impact ability of M5 fiber combined with the liquid body armor could mean that the armor could stop dozens of rounds, rather than just a handful like kevlar. Without significant changes to the weight of the material, it should also be about the same weight as ordinary kevlar. While current bullet proof vests used the military are only level III-A, that is are capable of stopping a 9mm or .357 magnum, being over 7 time stronger, the armor may finally be able to stop rounds such as the 7.62mm x 39mm or 5.56mm, essentially the most commonly used rounds in the world, and faced by troops such as the Americans or United Nation's when fighting terrorists or brutal dictators. In fact, the light weight of the armor may allow the soldiers to wear the armor over the entire bodies. To be equal to an EOD suit in strength, they would only need about 10 pounds, compared to the 70+ pounds of materials found in EOD suits. 20 pounds or so for an entire suit of body armor is more than practical (around 1 pound per square foot, roughly equal in thickness to a standard level III-a kevlar vest), and in theory it should be able to stop the energy of rifle rounds.
Additional Armor
While this would make good body armor by itself, no single material will likely be enough to make effective armor. Being 7 times stronger than kevlar, as well as more heat and chemically resistant, on top of being more flexible and resistant to repeated impacts, is incredibly impressive, but likely not the only factor to consider. Other mechanical properties, such as hardness or rigidity, are important when making armor. Helmets made of kevlar for instance are generally hardened, using epoxy resin, making them physically much tougher and more energy absorbent for when worn on the head. Any kind of indentation could potentially indent in to the skull, meaning that the armor needs to be raised above the head, and the head further protected from padding to prevent the helmet from pushing in to the skull itself, and becoming as deadly as the bullet. Certain design considerations have to be understood, or else the armor will only be so much more capable. It's simple not enough for the armor to be stronger, it also needs to be designed to fit the human body and resist certain types of bullets specifically.
One design concept of particular importance would be the use of composites, that is the combination of multiple materials. When placing harder armor on the outside of the softer armor, the harder armor has a tendency to break up and flatten out incoming projectiles, making them less likely to penetrate the softer armor below. While kevlar for instance is incredibly strong, it also can be cut by a knife. Certain projectiles, such as hardened steel tipped 5.56mm rounds, can much more easily penetrate through armor, not due to increased energy or velocity, but just due to the materials they're made out of. Depleted uranium and tungsten is used in the 120mm M1 abrams cannon for instance, due to their superior penetration capabilities to steel. Furthermore, a higher velocity in and of itself generally aids in the material being better at penetrating through light armor, such as kevlar, meaning that high velocity rifle rounds at the same energy can more easily penetrate through the armor. Despite possessing nearly the same amount of energy, the .44 magnum is stopped by standard military vests, even though the standard 5.56mm is not. EOD suits in an effort to combat this effect often use hardened plastics on the outside of the armor in order to catch and break up fragmentation before entering the softer armor below, making the softer armor more effective. Although M5 fiber and liquid body armor both are more resistant to higher velocity, harder projectiles, it can't hurt to add a harder material on the outside to help do the same thing.
While ceramics and other materials can work, the best candidate is likely to be Dyneema. Already very hard and strong, it's currently being used in body armor, such as the ECH or AS-600, to stop rifle projectiles as of now. The AS-600, weighing just 3.1 pounds, is capable of stopping a .308 cartridge, which greater velocity and energy than standard pistol rounds, as well as a higher PSI figure on impact. The ECH, while technically classified, is rumored to be able to stop .30 caliber rounds, as well. The material by itself is very strong, 1.6 times stronger than kevlar, but is also much harder, giving it better penetration resistance to materials such as kevlar. If Dyneema or hardened ceramics, or even a combination of the two, are broken up in to small scales and put on top of the softer armor, the ability to stop projectiles may be even better. Not only is it possible to have soft armor that is 7 times stronger than kevlar, but if made in to the right composite, it could also be much more bullet resistant than it's strength would otherwise suggest.
While exact figures are hard to quantify, the AS-600 covers about 1 to 1.3 square feet of space, and uses about 2.2 pounds of dyneema (once ignoring the inner padding material and the chin straps). To cover 20 square foot or, slightly more than the average human body's surface area, would require approximately 33 pounds of material, and if combined with 10 pounds of M5 fiber would only weight about 43 pounds, more than practical for the average soldier. Obviously, the weight of the dyneema could be reduced somewhat as we don't need to add what's necessary to stop a .308 on top of what's necessary to stop a .308, but even so the weight is still within the limits of what an average soldier could carry on top of the rest of his combat gear. The armor would generally be more energy resistant, flexible and fire proof, making the soldiers that much more protected, as well. It seems like, this would be a good design for modern body armor. A practical estimate would be about 35 pounds for body armor that could be roughly on par with an EOD suit and stop 7.62mm x 54mmR rounds, the largest rounds fired by regular infantry on the common battlefield, which would be extremely useful in Iraq and Afghanistan, where snipers and IED's have long been the biggest killers of our soldiers and even civilians. A suit scaled up to fit an EOD suit could be even stronger.
On top of this would be further energy reduction. Newer gels, such as D30, help to absorb energy by dissipating it over the entire area of the gel, and by being able to compress or squish, allowing the energy to be dissipated over space and time. [1][2][3] While lacking mechanical properties such as hardness or toughness that would stop a bullet by itself, their superior energy absorbing abilities allows the energy to be dissipated over the armor, reducing the chance of injury. As stated before, internal injuries can result via the transfer of shock and force to the human body even without penetration, and trauma to the head can be especially dramatic, as brain damage is permanent and the head is much more sensitive to these sorts of damage. The better absorption of energy beneath the armor that is transferred to the human body could further reduce the impact of energy, even if it contributed very little to the actual stopping of a bullet, itself. The gel currently adds very little weight to helmets it's used in, and thus can serve as an inner-lining to armor, to reduce the chance of certain kinds of injuries. Given the prevalence of TBI's, or traumatic brain injuries among soldiers, even though the bullets and fragments were stopped by the helmet, this type of armor is perhaps just as important as those which are strong enough to resist penetration themselves.
Although I have a lot of ideas for body armor and there are a lot of new emerging materials that could certainly replace those currently in existence, a thought I'd have for quite some time is mixing M5 fiber, an aramid fiber similar to kevlar, with the liquid body armor concept, a non-newtonian fluid designed to enhance the performance of the material against projectiles and bladed weaponry (such as knives). The basic problem with the liquid body armor program has largely been temperature, that is kevlar degrades rapidly at higher temperatures and doesn't last very long in the field after being heated to high temperatures, and becomes weaker. While there are currently measures being taken to reduce the heat of the liquid-body armor oven-treatment, an alternative would be to use a material that is more heat resistant, such as M5 fiber, and more chemically stable, that could not only withstand the heat of the oven, but also be a more heat resistant fiber in general. Not only is M5 more thermally stable than kevlar, but it is also twice as strong, more heat resistant than nomex, and resistant to UV and other chemicals kevlar is not, giving it a longer field-life. If combined together, M5 fiber could, in theory, be at least 7 times stronger than kevlar, and due to the lack of degradation in the oven, could be even stronger than that. M5 fiber is also more flexible and resistant to repeated impacts, meaning that it could survive against multiple hits, compared to kevlar fibers which are very brittle.
M5 Fiber is a fairly incredible material, being very similar to Kevlar in that it makes for a strong, bullet resistant material when woven in to a fabric, like those used in bullet proof vests. [1][2] The material is about as strong as kevlar, but is half the thickness and weight, meaning that twice as much material can be used in a similarly sized piece of armor. Furthermore, the material is much more flexible, and will yield when stretched, meaning that it won't tear or fracture, unlike kevlar fibers which are very brittle, similar to glass. With repeated impacts kevlar wears out quickly, generally unable to take more than 1-2 bullets in the same spot, but m5 fiber can be struck repeatedly. Flexible armor has it's own advantage, as armor that is more flexible can be worn without as much difficult and be much more comfortable. M5 fiber is more heat resistant than nomex, or the material that fire fighters use in their suits, and is very chemically stable, capable of resisting many chemicals that typically degrade kevlar, such as water, and UV radiation, that comes from sunlight. This makes the material much more durable, and thus has better properties for armor when the material could be exposed to fire or heat, such as in the military. For resisting the force of explosives, the flexibility compared with the fire resistance could prove extremely useful, and the longer life means that even if the armor is more expensive, it wouldn't need to be replaced as often. Instead of being replaced every 5 years, it would be every 10 or 20 years, making the price significantly lower in the long run for active duty military or police.
The liquid body armor concept is essentially the idea of combining a sheer-thickening fluid, in this case silica suspended in polyethylene glycol, with kevlar. [1][2][3] A shear-thickening fluid (STF), is a material behaves like a solid when it encounters mechanical stress or shear. In other words, it moves like a liquid until an object strikes or agitates it forcefully. Then, it hardens in a few milliseconds. This allows the material to be very flexible and mobile, but harden under stress (such as when being strong by a bullet), allowing the material to be comfortable and contour to the shape of the human body until it is struck by a bullet. In laboratory tests, the STF-treated Kevlar was found to be as flexible as plain, or neat, Kevlar, yet Four layers of STF-treated Kevlar could dissipate the same amount of energy as 14 layers of neat Kevlar, or were 3.5 times stronger. In addition, STF-treated fibers didn't stretch as far on impact as ordinary fibers, meaning that bullets didn't penetrate as deeply into the armor or a person's tissue underneath. This means that not only is the armor stronger, but was also more resistant to repeated impacts, and less likely to cause injury from kinetic energy to the user. Penetration isn't the only way an individual can be injured; even if a bullet proof vest stopped a bullet, the person could suffer a severe enough internal injury, such as internal bleeding or bruising, from a bullet for it to be lethal or cause severe harm. Not only was the armor better at stopping bullets from penetrating, but it also absorbed the energy better. In addition, the material responded more strongly to high velocity projectiles. Because higher velocity projectiles are traditionally better at piercing armor, this means that the armor would be better at resisting specialized armor piercing rounds, as well.
The armor is approximately 3.5 times stronger, and better at stopping projectiles. To make liquid body armor using shear-thickening fluid, researchers first dilute the fluid in ethanol. They saturate the Kevlar with the diluted fluid and place it in an oven to evaporate the ethanol. The STF then permeates the Kevlar, and the Kevlar strands hold the particle-filled fluid in place. Unfortunately, the heating process has a tendency to damage the kevlar and degrade it, and while it made it stronger, the kevlar tends to wear out so quickly that practical use in the field simply hasn't generally been a feasible reality.
Due to the similar mechanical properties of M5 fiber to kevlar, in theory it should be very easily usable in the same process. M5 fiber is not only twice as strong, but also more heat resistant, meaning that it should be able to, in theory, survive the process with far less, if any degradation. This means that the material could be 3.5 x 2 times stronger than current kevlar or, 7 times stronger. And due to less degradation and other mechanical properties (such as being more flexible and stretching less on impact), could in fact be even stronger. The synergistic effects of greater repeated impact ability of M5 fiber combined with the liquid body armor could mean that the armor could stop dozens of rounds, rather than just a handful like kevlar. Without significant changes to the weight of the material, it should also be about the same weight as ordinary kevlar. While current bullet proof vests used the military are only level III-A, that is are capable of stopping a 9mm or .357 magnum, being over 7 time stronger, the armor may finally be able to stop rounds such as the 7.62mm x 39mm or 5.56mm, essentially the most commonly used rounds in the world, and faced by troops such as the Americans or United Nation's when fighting terrorists or brutal dictators. In fact, the light weight of the armor may allow the soldiers to wear the armor over the entire bodies. To be equal to an EOD suit in strength, they would only need about 10 pounds, compared to the 70+ pounds of materials found in EOD suits. 20 pounds or so for an entire suit of body armor is more than practical (around 1 pound per square foot, roughly equal in thickness to a standard level III-a kevlar vest), and in theory it should be able to stop the energy of rifle rounds.
Additional Armor
While this would make good body armor by itself, no single material will likely be enough to make effective armor. Being 7 times stronger than kevlar, as well as more heat and chemically resistant, on top of being more flexible and resistant to repeated impacts, is incredibly impressive, but likely not the only factor to consider. Other mechanical properties, such as hardness or rigidity, are important when making armor. Helmets made of kevlar for instance are generally hardened, using epoxy resin, making them physically much tougher and more energy absorbent for when worn on the head. Any kind of indentation could potentially indent in to the skull, meaning that the armor needs to be raised above the head, and the head further protected from padding to prevent the helmet from pushing in to the skull itself, and becoming as deadly as the bullet. Certain design considerations have to be understood, or else the armor will only be so much more capable. It's simple not enough for the armor to be stronger, it also needs to be designed to fit the human body and resist certain types of bullets specifically.
One design concept of particular importance would be the use of composites, that is the combination of multiple materials. When placing harder armor on the outside of the softer armor, the harder armor has a tendency to break up and flatten out incoming projectiles, making them less likely to penetrate the softer armor below. While kevlar for instance is incredibly strong, it also can be cut by a knife. Certain projectiles, such as hardened steel tipped 5.56mm rounds, can much more easily penetrate through armor, not due to increased energy or velocity, but just due to the materials they're made out of. Depleted uranium and tungsten is used in the 120mm M1 abrams cannon for instance, due to their superior penetration capabilities to steel. Furthermore, a higher velocity in and of itself generally aids in the material being better at penetrating through light armor, such as kevlar, meaning that high velocity rifle rounds at the same energy can more easily penetrate through the armor. Despite possessing nearly the same amount of energy, the .44 magnum is stopped by standard military vests, even though the standard 5.56mm is not. EOD suits in an effort to combat this effect often use hardened plastics on the outside of the armor in order to catch and break up fragmentation before entering the softer armor below, making the softer armor more effective. Although M5 fiber and liquid body armor both are more resistant to higher velocity, harder projectiles, it can't hurt to add a harder material on the outside to help do the same thing.
While ceramics and other materials can work, the best candidate is likely to be Dyneema. Already very hard and strong, it's currently being used in body armor, such as the ECH or AS-600, to stop rifle projectiles as of now. The AS-600, weighing just 3.1 pounds, is capable of stopping a .308 cartridge, which greater velocity and energy than standard pistol rounds, as well as a higher PSI figure on impact. The ECH, while technically classified, is rumored to be able to stop .30 caliber rounds, as well. The material by itself is very strong, 1.6 times stronger than kevlar, but is also much harder, giving it better penetration resistance to materials such as kevlar. If Dyneema or hardened ceramics, or even a combination of the two, are broken up in to small scales and put on top of the softer armor, the ability to stop projectiles may be even better. Not only is it possible to have soft armor that is 7 times stronger than kevlar, but if made in to the right composite, it could also be much more bullet resistant than it's strength would otherwise suggest.
While exact figures are hard to quantify, the AS-600 covers about 1 to 1.3 square feet of space, and uses about 2.2 pounds of dyneema (once ignoring the inner padding material and the chin straps). To cover 20 square foot or, slightly more than the average human body's surface area, would require approximately 33 pounds of material, and if combined with 10 pounds of M5 fiber would only weight about 43 pounds, more than practical for the average soldier. Obviously, the weight of the dyneema could be reduced somewhat as we don't need to add what's necessary to stop a .308 on top of what's necessary to stop a .308, but even so the weight is still within the limits of what an average soldier could carry on top of the rest of his combat gear. The armor would generally be more energy resistant, flexible and fire proof, making the soldiers that much more protected, as well. It seems like, this would be a good design for modern body armor. A practical estimate would be about 35 pounds for body armor that could be roughly on par with an EOD suit and stop 7.62mm x 54mmR rounds, the largest rounds fired by regular infantry on the common battlefield, which would be extremely useful in Iraq and Afghanistan, where snipers and IED's have long been the biggest killers of our soldiers and even civilians. A suit scaled up to fit an EOD suit could be even stronger.
On top of this would be further energy reduction. Newer gels, such as D30, help to absorb energy by dissipating it over the entire area of the gel, and by being able to compress or squish, allowing the energy to be dissipated over space and time. [1][2][3] While lacking mechanical properties such as hardness or toughness that would stop a bullet by itself, their superior energy absorbing abilities allows the energy to be dissipated over the armor, reducing the chance of injury. As stated before, internal injuries can result via the transfer of shock and force to the human body even without penetration, and trauma to the head can be especially dramatic, as brain damage is permanent and the head is much more sensitive to these sorts of damage. The better absorption of energy beneath the armor that is transferred to the human body could further reduce the impact of energy, even if it contributed very little to the actual stopping of a bullet, itself. The gel currently adds very little weight to helmets it's used in, and thus can serve as an inner-lining to armor, to reduce the chance of certain kinds of injuries. Given the prevalence of TBI's, or traumatic brain injuries among soldiers, even though the bullets and fragments were stopped by the helmet, this type of armor is perhaps just as important as those which are strong enough to resist penetration themselves.
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