Front-facing fluoropolymer-coated armor composite

Abstract

A front-facing armor system utilizing a composite laminate backed by a high hardness substrate. The composite laminate comprises a series of first and second layers. The first layer of the bi-layer laminate system is a polymer with a density of at least 1.8 g/ᵌ and having both an amorphous and crystalline phase, and having phase transformation pressure of at least 0.5 GPa at a temperature of 20° C. The second layer of each bi-layer provides acoustic impedance mismatch to generate reflections of the incident compression wave following ballistic impact. Under ballistic impact, the polymer comprising the armor system undergoes a shockinduced transition resulting in a marked change in microstructure and mechanical behavior, providing a significant kinetic energy absorption mechanism.