ENHANCING BALLISTIC PROTECTION: DEVELOPING IMPACT-RESISTANT, CORRUGATED-CORE PROTECTIVE PANELS

This study evaluates the impact resistance and residual strength of novel corrugated composite structures for enhancing ballistic protection in soft armor applications. The core material, composed of unidirectional Twaron prepreg, was processed into corrugated laminates with various stacking sequences, then bonded to woven Kevlar face sheets. Material characterization was conducted using an Instron 8801 for tensile and compressive testing. Drop-weight impact testing was performed using a Dynatup 8250, with consistent setup parameters to assess the performance of both corrugated laminate and aluminum honeycomb cores. Post-impact residual strength was measured through compressive loading. Results indicated that while aluminum honeycomb cores demonstrated superior peak load capacity, corrugated laminates, particularly those with 8 and 12 layers, exhibited greater energy absorption prior to failure. This controlled crushing behavior, associated with the corrugation, allowed for enhanced displacement and energy absorption. The study concludes that corrugated laminate cores offer significant potential for energy absorption, making them viable for impact protection applications where energy dissipation is critical. However, aluminum honeycomb remains advantageous for applications where peak load support and mass efficiency are priorities.