Effect of the Weaving Density of Aramid Fabrics on Their Resistance to Ballistic Impacts.docVIP

Engineering, 2012, 4, 944-949 /10.4236/eng.2012.412A119 Published Online December 2012 (http://www.SciRP.org/journal/eng) Effect of the Weaving Density of Aramid Fabrics on Their Resistance to Ballistic Impacts Jung Seop Lim , Bum Hoon Lee , Chang Bae Lee , In-Sik Han 1* 2 2 2 1 RD Center, LG Hausys, Anyang City, Korea Kolon Central Research Park, Kolon Industries Inc., Cumi-Si, Korea * Email: staach@ 2 Received August 14, 2012; revised September 16, 2012; accepted September 30, 2012 ABSTRACT Two Heracron ? woven fabrics, HT600-1 and HT600-2, were fabricated with different weaving densities and their re- sistance to ballistic impact was investigated. While HT600-1 was inherently stronger along the weft than HT600-2, the latter exhibited a higher tensile strength along the warp. Crimp values indicate that HT600-1, which possesses a rela- tively larger weft weaving density, induces an excess in the warp crimp ratio, thereby weakening the fabric along the warp. The dimensionless fiber property U*, which is defined as the product of the specific fiber toughness and the strain wave velocity, was calculated for each fabric. The U* values of HT600-1 were lower than those of HT600-2; U* values along the warp of HT600-1 were extremely low. These analyses show that HT600-2 exhibited improved ballistic prop- erties over those of HT600-1. These findings further indicate the existence of an optimal weave that would minimize damage to both yarn and fabric. Establishing these optimal conditions can be crucial in implementing better ballistic properties into fabrics. Keywords: Aramid Fiber; Fabrics/Textiles; Impact Behavior 1. Introduction the weave pattern, the number of fabric plies, and weave density. Weave patterns used in ballistic applications are usually plain and basket weaves. Fabrics with unbal- anced wea