Potential of Natural Fibers in Composites for Ballistic Applications – A Review

ABSTRACT

In this paper, a review of natural fibers composites used in protective armors for ballistic applications like bulletproof vests is presented. It seeks to compile the results and establish natural fiber composites as an alternative to absolute synthetic composites used for the same application. The review assesses the latest articles under two categories viz. only natural fibers and hybrid composites with natural and synthetic fibers. It covers a range of fibers from flax, basalt, curaua, kenaf, aramid, jute, coir, and hemp. The study systematically classifies the composites based on the ballistic limit they exhibit and the back face signature measured during standardized ballistic testing. In accordance with the results, the findings are compared against standard materials such as Kevlar used in ballistic armors. The hybrid composites are seen to present superior properties in comparison to plain natural fiber composites. Natural fibers provide an ecological and economical alternative to existing composites. The review shows promising results and immense future scope for natural fibers in the area of ballistic applications and they must be actively considered for replacing synthetic fibers in armor.

摘要

本文综述了天然纤维复合材料在防弹背心等弹道防护装甲中的应用. 它试图汇编结果，并建立天然纤维复合材料，作为用于相同应用的绝对合成复合材料的替代品. 该评论评估了最新的两类文章，即. 只有天然纤维和与天然纤维和合成纤维混合的复合材料。它涵盖了亚麻、玄武岩、库鲁瓦、红麻、芳纶、黄麻、椰子和大麻纤维. 这项研究根据复合材料的弹道极限和在标准化弹道试验中测得的背面特征，对复合材料进行了系统的分类. 根据研究结果，将研究结果与防弹衣中使用的凯夫拉等标准材料进行了对比. 与普通天然纤维复合材料相比，杂化复合材料具有优越的性能. 天然纤维为现有复合材料提供了一种生态和经济的替代品. 综述表明，天然纤维在弹道应用领域取得了令人鼓舞的成果和广阔的前景，在装甲中取代合成纤维必须予以积极考虑.

KEYWORDS:

• Ballistic impact
• hybrid composites
• natural fibers

关键词:

• 弹道冲击
• 混杂复合材料
• 天然纤维.

Acknowledgments

This work is supported by UPM under GPB grant, 9668200. The authors would like to express their gratitude and sincere appreciation to the Department of Aerospace Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia and Laboratory of Biocomposite Technology, Institute of Tropical Forestry and Forest Products (INTROP), Universiti Putra Malaysia (HiCOE) for the close collaboration in this research.