Engineering of 3D warp interlock p-aramid fabric structure and its energy absorption capabilities against ballistic impact for body armour applications

Abstract 3D warp interlock fabric became a promising structure to develop women body armour due to its good mouldability. However, its performance toward ballistic impact for different threats should be investigated before applying. This paper aims to investigate the ballistic performances of 3D interlock p-aramid (Twaron®) fabric panels’ against NIJ (National Institute of Justice) standard–0101.06 Level-IIIA. The intended fabric was manufactured on a semi-automatic loom in GEMTEX Laboratory. 2D plain weave fabric with similar fibre type was also tested for comparison. Various target panels from each structure were arranged and moulded at pre-defined points using an adapted bust-shape forming bench to resemble frontal female body contour. Based on the result, the energy absorption capabilities of 3D interlock and 2D fabric panels with a higher number of layers did not reveal a significant difference. However, the 2D fabric panel absorbed more energy than 3D warp interlock fabrics for a reduced and similar number of layers due to its rigid and stiffness property . Besides, both fabric types had shown less energy transmission to the backing material at the non-moulded target areas as compared to the moulded target area. While shaping the intended panel, 3D interlock fabric revealed better mouldability and less recovery behaviour with less wrinkle formations.