Hybrid Additive Manufactured-Aramid fibre body armour

防弹衣对于在人员可能遭受穿刺或穿透威胁的情况下保护他们至关重要。装甲的防护性能可以分为四类：1.钝伤保护-通常使用乙烯-醋酸乙烯酯（伊娃）泡沫和模制丙烯腈-丁二烯-苯乙烯（ABS）外壳来实现。防刺性-通常使用刚性聚碳酸酯（PC）胸板实现。3.防弹性-通过芳纶或超高分子量聚乙烯（UHMWPE）纤维层的层压网络实现较低级别的保护，使用陶瓷板实现更高的保护。4.多重威胁（防刺和防弹）-使用芳纶/超高分子量聚乙烯纤维和PC胸甲的组合实现。虽然通过使用芳纶纤维装甲可以实现对弹道威胁的保护，但这种装甲不适合提供对低速锋利力量威胁的保护，如刀片或尖刺。这是由于穿透盔甲的各个纤维元件之间的锐利力威胁。因此，为了实现防刺性和防弹性，通常需要使用与PC胸板结合的芳纶/UHMWPE纤维。通过这样做，通常由纤维基装甲提供的改进的机动性大大降低。虽然这些制品的防护性能自其引入以来已经进步，但是这种盔甲的使用者经常报告不合身和不舒服的服装。这一点，再加上PC和芳族聚酰胺基装甲等防护用品的高重量和低透气性，最多会导致性能受损，如跑步速度或操作机动性降低，在最坏的情况下，可能导致生理影响，包括神经损伤和严重的肌肉骨骼损伤。增材制造（AM）是一组制造技术的名称，这些技术可以产生非常复杂的几何形状，而几乎没有额外的成本。这些用于生产服装的方法的使用已经在时尚竞技场中通过开发高度铰接的仿纺织品结构而得到证实。PI最近进行的工作也表明，AM技术也可以用于实现国际认可的英国内政部防弹衣防护标准的防刺性。该项目旨在利用AM技术提供的设计和制造机会，以及现有芳纶基装甲的增强防护性能和机动性。为了实现这一目标，一系列增材制造材料优化和计算机辅助设计（CAD）活动，以及刺和弹道验证演习将在赠款期内进行。这种混合防护系统的开发可能是下一代防弹衣开发的一个重大飞跃，在下一代防弹衣中，穿戴者的身体舒适度及其随后的操作性能与防护性能一样重要。总之，这项研究的目标是生产第一代混合AM-芳族聚酰胺纤维防弹衣面板，能够提供针对刺伤和弹道威胁的保护。

Body armour is essential to protect personnel in situations where they may be exposed to puncture or penetrative threats. The protective performance of armour can be split into four categories:1. Blunt trauma protection - often achieved using an Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate (EVA) foam and moulded Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) outer shell.2. Stab resistance - typically achieved using a rigid Polycarbonate (PC) chest plate.3. Ballistic resistance - Lower level protection via a laminated network of aramid or Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibre layers, with higher protection achieved using ceramic plates.4. Multi-threat (stab and ballistic resistance) - Achieved using a combination of aramid/UHMWPE fibres and a PC chest plate.Whilst protection against ballistic threats can be achieved through the use of aramid-fibre armour, such armour is unsuitable at providing protection against lower velocity sharp force threats such as blades or spikes. This is due to the sharp force threat penetrating between the individual fibrous elements of the armour. Therefore, to achieve stab and ballistic resistance the use of aramid/UHMWPE fibres coupled with a PC chestplate is often required. By doing so, the improved manouverability typically offered by fibre-based armour is substantially reduced. Whilst the protective performance of these articles have progressed since their introduction, users of such armour frequently report of ill-fitting and uncomfortable garments. This, combined with the high weight and low breathability of protective articles such as PC and aramid-based armour, at best results in impaired performance such as reduced running speeds or operational manouevrability, and at worst can lead to physiological effects including nerve damage and severe musculoskeletal injuries.Additive Manufacturing (AM) is the name for group of manufacturing techniques which can produce extremely complex geometries with little or no additional costs. The use of these processes for the production of clothing has already been demonstrated in the fashion arena with the development of highly articulated linkable textile-like structures. Recent work conducted by the PI has also demonstrated that AM technologies can also be utilised to achieve stab resistance to the internationally recognised UK Home Office body armour protective standards.This project seeks to utilise the design and manufacturing opportunities offered by AM technologies, coupled with the enhanced protective performance and manouverability of existing aramid-based armour. To achieve this a range of AM material optimisation and Computer Aided Design (CAD) activities, as well as stab and ballistic validation exercises will be performed within the grant period. The development of this hybrid protective system could present a significant leap in the development of the next generation of body armour in which the physical comfort of the wearer and their subsequent operational performance is as important a factor as protective performance. In summary, this research will aim to produce the first generation hybrid AM-aramid fibre body armour panel capable of providing protection against stab and ballistic threats.