Photographic Investigation of High-Speed Missile Impact upon Nylon Fabric

Investigation has been continued of missile impact (116 to 537 meter/sec) upon single layers of high-tenacity nylon fabric by further analyses of high-speed photographs described previously. The results have been compared with prior analogous experiments conducted with yarn bundles of similar material. It appears that the fabric interacts with the missile in a shorter time and along a smaller distance, resulting in a larger normalized retarding force on the missile than observed with the yarn bundles. Comparison of various specimen geometries of this material has led to an estimate of 600 to 650 meter/sec for its transverse critical velocity.