High-velocity impact onto a high-frictional fabric treated with adhesive spray coating and shear thickening fluid impregnation

The ballistic performance of a bullet-proof fabric can be increased by an increment in the friction between fibres. For enhancement of this performance, numerous studies on the shear thickening fluid (STF)-impregnated fabric have been conducted. The STF as a fluid, however, has inherent shortcomings. Our research aim is to understand and compare experimentally two different bullet-proof fabrics treated with a simple spray coating and STF impregnation. In this study, 71 single yarn pull-out and 90 high-velocity impact experiments were carried out. It was remarkable that the newly proposed Heracron fabric coated with a commercial coating spray increased by more than 90% the energy absorption before penetration, with only less than 15% of add-on weight. It was found that the polymeric anchors created on the fibre produce an exceptionally high level of friction between fibres, according to a microscopic morphological analysis and the single-yarn pull-out experiment. This study revealed the physical explanation of this coating method, showed its feasibility, and considered its effectiveness with excellent results.