• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.123-127
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• 2015

Soda-lime silicate (SLS) glass was strengthened by ion exchange for application of thin and lightweight bulletproof windows. The optimal conditions for ion exchanged SLS glass (thickness of 3 and 10 mm) at $480^{\circ}C$ were 10 and 17 min, respectively. The Vickers hardness values of the strengthened SLS glass samples with thicknesses of 3 and 10 mm were $5.9{\pm}0.22$ and $6.7{\pm}0.17GPa$, respectively, which values were about 22% higher than those of parent SLS glass. By laminating a multilayer defense film and polycarbonate sheet with ion exchanged SLS glass, we were able to make a thin and lightweight bulletproof window (24.25 mm, 4.57 kg, $50.06kg/m^2$, $V_{50}$ 901.8 m/s). As a result, the thickness of the bulletproof window was decreased by about 39% from 40 to 24.25 mm. The light transmittance in the visible range satisfied the standard (over 76%) for bulletproof windows.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.157-164
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• 2022

Representative bulletproof materials, such as aramid or ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene(UHMWPE), have excellent strength and modulus in the plane direction but are very vulnerable to forces applied in the thickness direction. This paper reports a study on the effects of reinforcement in the thickness direction when bulletproof composite fabrics are prepared to improve their performance. Aramid and UHMWPE fabrics were combined using the film-bonding, needle-punching, or stitching methods and then subjected to low-velocity projectile and ball-drop impact tests. The results of the low-velocity projectile test indicated that the backface signature(BFS) decreased by up to 29.2% in fabrics obtained via the film-bonding method. However, the weight of the film-bonded fabric increased by approximately 23% compared with that obtained by simple lamination, and the fabric stiffened on account of the binder. Flexibility, light weight for wearability, and excellent bulletproof performance are very important factors in the development of bulletproof materials. When the needle-punching method was used, the BFS increased as the fibers sustained damage by the needle. When the composite fabrics were combined by stitching, no significant difference in weight and thickness was observed, and the BFS showed similar results. When a diagonal stitching pattern was employed, the BFS decreased as the stitching density increased. By contrast, when a diamond stitching pattern was used, the fabric fibers were damaged and the BFS increased as the stitching density increased.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Military Science and Technology
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.507-513
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• 2013

Transparent bulletproof windows play an important role in the munitions industry. The thickness of bulletproof windows including soda-lime silicate(SLS) glass, polyvinyl butyral, poly urethane, main defense(200MD), and safety film was reduced from 40mm to 29mm by adjustment of SLS glass laminated array. Borosilicate glasses generally have lower surface density and more excellent mechanical properties than SLS glass. Borosilicate glass was strengthened by ion exchange in the $KNO_3$ powder. The maximum mechanical properties were observed at $550^{\circ}C$ for 10min. The Vickers hardness, fracture toughness and 3-point bending strength of ion exchanged samples were about $775kg/mm^2$, $1.91MPa{\cdot}m^{1/2}$ and 764MPa each, which are about 27%, 149% and 249% higher than parent borosilicate glass, respectively. The penetration depth of K+ ion at $550^{\circ}C$ for 10min was $59.8{\mu}m$. As a result, the transparent bulletproof windows were predicted to be more lightweight by ion exchange of borosilicate glass. If the SLS glass for bulletproof windows is replaced by ion exchanged borosilicate glass, the bulletproof windows can be expected to be lightweight and thinner.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.300-307
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• 2020

This study examines the reliability evaluation concept and procedure of bulletproof materials (BRP: Bulletproof Reliability Program). ASRP, RAM analysis tasks were utilized for the study. Based on this analysis, the concept, method, performance system, and procedure of BRP were examined. The BRP task execution procedure consists of the following four steps. First, the business (evaluation) planning stage establishes the evaluation plan every year. Second, there is a testing stage that performs the general inspection, functional test, and operational test according to the established plan. Thirdly, there is an evaluation/analysis phase to synthesize/analyze the results and to judge the appropriate grade considering the performance of bulletproof materials. Finally, the follow-up step of each group according to the result. The following criteria are suggested for BRP implementation: BRP testing capability, development of BRP evaluation method, and recognition of the importance of BRP business.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.332-339
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• 2020

This study was a prior study to establish the shelf life of bulletproof helmets, considered the aging factor of bulletproof helmets. To estimate the aging factor of bulletproof helmets, we established a hypothesis that the 'temperature' factor would have the greatest impact on the shelf life of the bulletproof helmet, considering the environmental treatment of the American army's bulletproof helmet's materials. To verify the hypothesis, high temperature acceleration environmental treatment of bulletproof helmets was performed, and the Arrhenius formula was applied to calculate the shelf life. The study result confirmed the negative correlation between bulletproof performance and high temperature, and the influence of temperature as an aging factor was not significant by deriving life by using the Arrhenius model. The limitation of this study is that we couldn't obtain enough samples due to the specificity (miliary supplies) of the test subjects. However, given that the life-related research on bulletproof helmets has not been carried out, this research has great implications and could be used as a reference for improving the Korean Army's bulletproof helmet specifications.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.331-338
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• 2023

Modern bulletproof armor must be light and have excellent penetration resistance to ensure the mobility and safety of soldiers and military vehicles. The ballistic performance of heterogeneous structures of laminated flat plates as bulletproof armor depends on the arrangement of constituent materials for the same weight. In this study, we analyze bulletproof performance according to the stacking sequence of laminated bulletproof armor composed of Kevlar, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, and ethylene-vinyl-acetate foam. A ballistic analysis was performed by colliding a 7.62 × 51 mm NATO cartridge's M80 bullet at a speed of 856 m/s with six lamination arrangements with constituent materials thicknesses of 5 mm and 6.5 mm. To evaluate the bulletproof performance, the residual speed and residual energy of the projectile that penetrated the heterogeneous laminated flat plates were measured. Simulation results confirmed that the laminated structure with a stacking sequence of Kevlar, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, and ethylene-vinyl-acetate foam had the best bulletproof performance for the same weight.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.43-51
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• 2019

Nacre of abalone shell features a "brick-and-mortar" microstructure, in which micro-plates of calcium carbonate are bonded by nanometers-thick layers of chitin and proteins. Due to the microstructure and its unique toughening mechanisms, nacre possesses an excellent combination of specific strength, stiffness and toughness. This study deals with the possibility of using nacre fragments obtained from abalone shell for making a bulletproof armor system. A composite plate laminated with abalone shell fragments is made and compression and bend tests are carried out. In addition, a bulletproof test is performed with hybrid armor systems which are composed of an alumina plate, a composite plate, and aramid woven fabric to verify the ballistic performance of nacre. The compressive strength of the composite plate is around 258.3 MPa. The bend strength and modulus of the composite plate decrease according to the plate thickness and are about 149.2 MPa and 50.3 GPa, respectively, for a 4.85 mm thick plate. The hybrid armor system with a planar density of $45.2kg/m^2$, which is composed of an 8 mm thick alumina plate, a 2.4 mm thick composite plate, and 18 layers of aramid woven fabric, satisfy the NIJ Standard 0101.06 : 2008 Armor Type IV. These results show that a composite plate laminated with abalone shell fragments can be used for a bulletproof armor system as an interlayer between ceramic and fabric to decrease the armor system's weight.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Military Science and Technology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.120-125
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• 2010

For application of transparent bulletproof materials, the SLS(soda-lime-silicate) glass was heated by 2-step crystallization. The DTA curve for SLS glass revealed the nucleation and crystal growth temperature at about $575^{\circ}C$ and $675^{\circ}C$, respectively. The crystallized glass was heated at various conditions(temperature, time). As a result, the maximum nucleation and crystal growth rates were $3.8\times10^5/mm^3{\cdot}hr$ at $575^{\circ}C$ and 20.58nm/min at $680^{\circ}C$, respectively. The bending strength, fracture toughness and vickers hardness were 451.7MPa, $0.9388MPa{\cdot}m^{1/2}$, and $693.9H_v$ which were 201%, 31%, and 22% higher than parent glass, respectively. Surface image and transmittance of crystallized SLS glass were analyzed by optical microscopy and UV/VIS/NIR spectrophotometer. Transmittance of crystallized SLS glass at visible-range(200~800nm) was not changed.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Military Science and Technology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.114-119
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• 2010

There are a number of studies on chemically strengthened glass. Most of them are strengthened in molten salt bath below transformation range of glass. This research is distinguished from the aforementioned studies in that single $KNO_3$ powder was used by employing screen printing technique. In this study soda-lime-silicate(SLS) glasses for bulletproof glass application with various thicknesses were used. The maximum value of the bending strength is 791MPa heat treated at $480^{\circ}C$, which is about 4.3 times higher than the parent glass, which is the highest strength of all soda-lime glasses. In this study, it is also observed that Vickers hardness increased to $657H_v$, which is about 15% higher than the parent glass($568.7H_v$) and fracture toughness was not changed. Depth profiles measured by electron probe micro analyzer(EPMA) showed a correlation between the migrations of $K^+$ ions with bending strength of ion exchanged glasses.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.311-316
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• 2017

The network analysis method has emerged as a new methodology for various disciplines, due to its ability to provide a representative knowledge network of references, co-authors and keywords. Bulletproof technology is an interdisciplinary field involving various disciplines, such as material mechanics, structural mechanics, and ballistics, so it is essential to keep up with the recent trends in technological research. In this research, the recent R&D trends in the field of bulletproof materials were analyzed using keyword based network analysis. From the results, the core keywords were identified as 'Composite', 'Model' and 'Head' using the scholar search engine, google scholar. The centrality analysis for the core keywords showed that bulletproof technology has developed in 3 different areas, viz. material, structure and effects. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first application of (network analysis?) to bulletproof technology. Moreover, we are also convinced that the results of this study will be useful for defense technology planning and determining the direction of R&D in the field of bulletproof technology.