Experimental research on hypervelocity impact characteristics of ultra high intensity and molecular weight polyethylene composite material

The ultra high intensity and molecular weight polyethylene (UHIMPE) composite material can be extensively applied to the aeronautic and astronautics areas because of its special properties. The hypervelocity impact experiments for Whipple shields made of UHIMPE composite material and aluminum alloy 2A12 were carried out by a two-stage light-gas gun. The diameter of the bumper perforation and the damage of the rear wall were observed and surveyed. According to experimented results, the trend of the ballistic limit curve of the UHIMPE composite material Whipple shield was analyzed qualitatively. The experimented results indicate that the UHIMPE composite material can not break the projectiles more effectively and its protection performance is worse than the aluminum alloy 2A12.