KR20070004379A - Amorphous structure and body armor with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

Amorphous structure comprising amorphous material and carbon nano-tube is provided to be employed in fabricating armor material with improved shock absorptivity and bullet-proof performance by preparing the amorphous material with metallic glass or polycarbonate and combining the amorphous material with carbon nano-tube. The amorphous structure has amorphous material and carbon nano-tube combined with the amorphous material. The amorphous material is selected from metallic glass and polycarbonate. Amount of the carbon nano-tube ranges from 10 to 90% and has aspect ratio of 1000:1 or less. The metallic glass is selected from aluminum alloy, titanium alloy and iron alloy. The amorphous structure is formed by molding the mixture of the amorphous material and the carbon nano-tube through melt-spinning or injection molding process. The amorphous structure(42) is used to fabricate an armor material(40) together with polymeric structure(44) laminated on the amorphous structure.

Description

Amorphous structure and body armor with the same

1 is an exemplary view of molding an amorphous structure according to an embodiment of the present invention by the melt spinning method,

2 is an exemplary view of a bulletproof material woven an amorphous structure according to an embodiment of the present invention,

Figure 3 is an illustration of a laminated state of the bulletproof material according to another embodiment of the present invention,

Figure 4 is an illustration of a laminated state of the bulletproof material according to another embodiment of the present invention.

          <Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

10: melting apparatus 12: composite amorphous material

14 fluidity stream 18 mold

22: amorphous structure 32, 40: bulletproof material

42, 46: amorphous structure 44, 48: polymer structure

The present invention relates to an amorphous structure and a bulletproof material comprising the same, and more particularly, to an amorphous structure having a high elastic energy accumulated and capable of efficiently absorbing an impact from the outside and a bulletproof material comprising the same.

Body armor or body armor is mainly used to prevent injury to the human body from bullets or knives and external impacts. The bulletproof material used as the material of the body armor may be applied to a hard body armor or a soft body armor according to the characteristics of the material. Details of this have been disclosed by the present inventors and other inventors in WO 2005/022071 of PCT International Application.

In brief, soft ballistics are formed into a woven fabric and provided in a form that can be worn together under normal clothing, such as a shirt or coat. Soft bulletproof material is provided in the form of a protective panel to cover the front and back of the body of the human body, the protective panel may be provided in a fabric composite with a conventional fiber such as cotton yarn or nylon.

In addition, helmets are typical of rigid bulletproof materials, and are provided in the form of a composite fiber reinforced with a relatively rigid and rigid outer shell or panel.

Accordingly, the above-mentioned International Publication No. WO 2005/022071 invents a bulletproof material using metallic glass as an amorphous material, so that it has a high elastic energy to allow shock absorption.

On the other hand, the inventors of the present invention, when a predetermined material is added to the metallic glass, which is an amorphous material, to further improve the ballistic efficiency compared to the conventional metallic glass alone material to further improve the absorption of external impact. In addition, to improve the ballistic performance by applying a material other than the metallic metallic glass of the conventional metal as an amorphous material.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems, to provide an amorphous structure in which carbon nanotubes are mixed with an amorphous material and a bulletproof material including the same.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the above object is achieved by an amorphous structure, characterized in that it comprises an amorphous material and carbon nanotubes mixed with the amorphous material.

Here, the amorphous material may be selected from at least one of metallic metallic glass and polycarbonate.

The carbon nanotubes may be included in an amount of 10 to 90%, and more preferably in a range of 10 to 30%.

The carbon nanotubes may have an aspect ratio of 1000: 1 or less.

The metallic glass may be provided by selecting at least one of an aluminum (Al) alloy, a titanium (Ti) alloy, or an iron (Fe) alloy.

The amorphous material and the carbon nanotubes may be mixed to be molded by any one of a melt spinning method or an injection molding method.

The cross section of the shaped body formed by the above processing method is rounded or formed in a square shape.

The amorphous material and the carbon nanotubes may be mixed to form a sheet.

On the other hand, the above object, according to another field of the present invention, is achieved by the anti-carbon material provided by weaving the amorphous structure of the above-described configuration.

In addition, in the bulletproof material, it is achieved by the bulletproof material provided including a polymer structure laminated on the sheet-like amorphous structure of the above-described configuration.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, this invention is demonstrated in detail with reference to an accompanying drawing.

1 is an exemplary view of molding the amorphous structure according to the embodiment of the present invention by the melt spinning method. The molded amorphous structure 22 shown in FIG. 1 is formed by mixing carbon nanotubes with metallic glass, which is an amorphous material.

Metallic glass, also called liquid metal, has a glass-like amorphous structure and was first synthesized in Au-Si alloy material around 1960. Metallic glasses are then manufactured from various alloy materials. Early metallic glasses are mainly palladium (Pd) alloys or lanthanum (La) alloys, and have been hampered by a wide range of applications due to the high cost of materials. Recently, however, titanium (Ti), iron (Fe), zirconium (Zr), nickel (Ni), and copper (Cu) -based metallic glasses have been manufactured to reduce material costs.

Metallic glass has properties that cannot be achieved with conventional crystalline metals or alloys. That is, the metallic glass can store high elastic stored energy, has a high tensile fracture strength of 1700-2200Mpa, and has a high flexural bending strength of 3000 ~ 3900Mpa. Metallic glass also has excellent corrosion resistance.

Typically, the metallic glass can store very high elastic energy without plastic deformation due to the amorphous atomic structure. Accordingly, when absorbing the impact from the external impactor, unlike other materials can absorb a large impact energy without deformation of the material. In the golf clubs, Zr-Be-Cu-Ti-Ni alloy glass can be seen that the head is machined with metallic glass.

Here, as the amorphous material, in addition to the metallic metallic glass, a polymer material such as engineering plastics such as polycarbonate may be selected, and carbon nanotubes may be mixed and processed.

In particular, in the embodiment of the present invention, it is preferable to adopt an aluminum (Al) -based alloy, titanium (Ti) -based, iron (Fe) -based alloy as a metallic glass material and mix and process carbon nanotubes.

Carbon nanotubes form a hexagonal honeycomb pattern by sp ₂ bonding of one carbon atom to three other carbon atoms. At this time, the diameter of the formed tube is extremely fine, about several nanometers, so called a nanotube. Carbon nanotubes have a state where a graphite sheet is rounded to a nano-sized diameter, and single wall nanotubes (SWNT) and multi-wall nanotubes are formed according to the number of bonds formed by the graphite surface. walled nanotubes (MWNT) and rope nanotubes. At this time, the graphite surface has a variety of structures according to the angle, the zigzag and armchair symmetrical structure, and the hexagonal hexagonal (chiral) structure of the tube axis is possible.

As such, the electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties of the carbon nanotubes vary greatly, and they exhibit various physical properties depending on their diameter, length, and degree of chirality. With respect to the carbon nanotubes mixed in the amorphous structure according to the embodiment of the present invention, attention is particularly paid to the mechanical properties of the carbon nanotubes. SWNT, for example, is 10 to 100 times stronger than steel and resistant to physical impact. In addition, carbon nanotubes are strong and have flexible properties that bend without damage when a force is applied to the end of the tube, and return to its original state when the force is removed.

By using the characteristics of the carbon nanotubes, when the carbon nanotubes are mixed with the metallic glass or polycarbonate, which is an amorphous material, the carbon nanotubes can be applied to an anti-carbon material having a high elastic energy accumulation rate and high impact absorption.

Here, the amorphous structure according to the embodiment of the present invention contains 10% or more of carbon nanotubes, and 90% or less. More preferably, carbon nanotubes may be included in the amorphous structure 10% to 30%.

In addition, the carbon nanotubes may have an aspect ratio of 1000: 1 or less. For example, the carbon nanotubes may have a length of 0.1 mm or less and a thickness of 100 nm or less.

A process of forming the amorphous structure by the melt spinning method will be described with reference to FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, a composite amorphous material 12 in which a predetermined component is mixed and dissolved in a melting apparatus 10 such as a quartz crucible is prepared. In the present invention, the composite amorphous material 12 is prepared by melting a metal alloy having a desired component using a heating means such as an induction coil (not shown) provided in the melting apparatus 10, and prepares the metallic glass, and carbon nanotubes It was prepared by putting. The same process can be adopted when an engineering plastic material including polycarbonate is used as the amorphous material.

When the composite amorphous material 12 is prepared, the predetermined fluid stream 14 is extracted through a discharge hole having a predetermined shape and size while heating at an appropriate time. The discharged fluid stream 14 is solidified in contact with the outer surface of the mold 18 of a cylindrical rotor which is rotatable at a predetermined speed and formed into an amorphous structure 22. The molded amorphous structure 22 may have a flat ribbon form (rectangular in cross section) or a fiber form (round cross section). In this case, the mold 18 may be additionally provided with a cooling water supply means for cooling treatment, and may be molded in an inert gas 20 atmosphere such as helium / argon (He / Ar) to protect the treatment process.

On the other hand, in the case of forming the amorphous structure 22 using a polymer-based amorphous material such as an engineering plastic such as polycarbonate and carbon nanotubes, the molten composite amorphous material 12 is pressurized while vibrating with ultrasonic waves. Method can be adopted.

The amorphous structure 22 in the form of ribbon or fiber yarn to be molded may be wound around the mold 18 to be rotated. In the case of the ribbon form, the maximum width is 5mm, the maximum thickness can be molded to 0.5mm. Also, in the case of fiber yarn form, the maximum diameter can be molded to 0.5mm. At this time, it may be molded in a twisted form like a conventional fiber yarn by a suitable molding treatment. The amorphous structure 22 formed as described above is applied as a bulletproof material.

The above-mentioned amorphous structure 22 may be formed by using the processing means disclosed in the above-mentioned International Publication WO 2005/022071. In other words, when the composite crystal material is dropped onto a mold of a square or flat copper material supplied with a predetermined cooling water, the falling fluid stream contacts the mold and solidifies quickly. Again, inert gases such as helium / argon (He / Ar) protect the process. The solidified amorphous structure has a flat ribbon shape (rectangular in cross section) or fiber form (round cross section) according to the geometric shape provided in the mold. In addition, by using a predetermined vibrator (not shown), a rectangular or plate-shaped mold may be shaken in a longitudinal direction or a left-right direction at a predetermined speed to form an amorphous structure in the form of a ribbon or fiber yarn into a desired shape.

Figure 2 shows an example of weaving an amorphous structure according to an embodiment of the present invention in the panel shape of the bulletproof material suitable for soft ballistic material. Here, the amorphous structure 22 may be formed of the above-described composite material of the metallic glass and the carbon nanotubes, or may be formed of the composite material of the polycarbonate and the carbon nanotubes. The amorphous structure 22 prepared as described above may be woven into warp and weft yarns and formed into a panel 32 to be applied as a bulletproof material. In addition, the panel 32 may be laminated with a material such as a polymer structure, a plastic film, or the like to form a bulletproof material made of a multilayer panel, or may be laminated a plurality of times several times to form a bulletproof material made of a multilayer panel. .

On the other hand, the carbon-proof material of the composite material may be processed by mixing and weaving the amorphous structure 22 processed into a predetermined shape and a rigid fiber such as aramid fibers.

Figure 3 shows the cross-sectional shape of the bulletproof material according to an embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated, the bulletproof material 40 has a plurality of amorphous structures 42 and polymer structures 44 alternately stacked with each other. Thus, for example, when the gun is fired from the outside, the impact energy due to the bullet is primarily reduced by the outermost amorphous structure 42 layer to reach the polymer structure 44 layer (eg, 100 units of initial impact energy). Reduced to 85 units at). The bullet with reduced impact energy may then be deflected or bounced off by the layer of amorphous structure 42 where the high elastic energy is stored when it meets the layer of amorphous structure 42 again. If a crack occurs in the amorphous structure 42 layer by the impact energy, the impact energy is all reduced (for example, reduced by 70 units). As described above, the impact energy is rapidly decreased as compared with a normal soft bulletproof article while passing through each structure layer that is continuously stacked.

Figure 4 shows the cross-sectional shape of the bulletproof material according to another embodiment of the present invention. The illustrated bulletproof material has the same laminated structure as that of FIG. 3, and differs in that a concave and convex concave-convex shape is provided in the amorphous structure 46 layer. The convex portion of the layer of amorphous structure 46 has a higher surface tension than the concave portion and thus requires more energy to penetrate it, thereby better absorbing external impact energy such as bullets. The uneven shape formed on the surface of the amorphous structure 46 according to the present embodiment may be naturally formed while processing the material. Although the concave-convex shape is shown in only one side of the cross section of the amorphous structure 46 in FIG. 4, the concave-convex shape may be formed along the longitudinal direction of the outer surface of the amorphous structure 46.

In addition, the bulletproof material according to each embodiment of the present invention can be applied to a rigid bulletproof material such as a helmet. In this case, it is possible to laminate using an amorphous structure formed by weaving the amorphous structure, or using an amorphous structure molded into a sheet shape. In this case, as a material to be laminated together, a Kevlar fiber layer or a polymer resin layer may be selectively used.

In the above-described embodiment, the amorphous structure is molded in the form of a ribbon or a fiber yarn, and woven to form the amorphous carbon material. However, the amorphous structure is formed into a sheet by mixing the amorphous material with the carbon nanotubes. It may be. In sheet-like processing, it can shape | mold using the injection molding method. Accordingly, the sheet-like polymer structure may be laminated on the sheet-shaped amorphous structure to form the bulletproof material.

Meanwhile, in the above-described embodiment, the amorphous structure is molded by the melt spinning method and the injection molding method. In addition, in the case of sheet-shaped processing, the amorphous composite material may be formed by mixing the amorphous material and the carbon nanotube to form the amorphous composite material by a roller quenching technique. In addition, it is also possible to provide a composite amorphous material prepared on a disk rotating at a high speed by a planar flow casting process, and to form an elongated plate-shaped object having a square section having a predetermined width.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention and other alternative embodiments have been described as described above, changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, such changes, modifications and alternative embodiments employed in the present invention fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

As described above, according to the amorphous structure and the bulletproof material of the present invention, carbon nanotubes may be mixed with an amorphous material such as metallic glass or polycarbonate to improve absorption of external impact and thus increase antiballistic performance.

Claims (11)

With amorphous materials, And amorphous carbon nanotubes mixed with the amorphous material. The method of claim 1, The amorphous material is an amorphous structure, characterized in that at least one of metallic metallic glass and polycarbonate is selected. The method of claim 2, The carbon nanotubes are amorphous structure, characterized in that contained 10 to 90%. The method of claim 3, The amorphous structure, characterized in that the carbon nanotubes are contained 10 to 30%. The method of claim 2, The carbon nanotubes are amorphous spheres, characterized in that the aspect ratio is 1000: 1 or less. The method of claim 2, The metallic glass is an amorphous structure, characterized in that provided by selecting at least one of aluminum (Al) -based alloy, titanium (Ti) -based alloy or iron (Fe) -based alloy. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, The amorphous structure is mixed with the amorphous material and the carbon nanotubes are formed by any one of the melt spinning method or the injection molding method of the amorphous structure. The method of claim 7, wherein An amorphous structure, characterized in that the cross section of the shaped body formed by the processing method is round or square. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, The amorphous structure is characterized in that the amorphous material and the carbon nanotubes are mixed to form a sheet. In the bulletproof material, Bulletproof material, characterized in that provided by weaving the amorphous structure of claim 7. In the bulletproof material, The sheet-shaped amorphous structure of claim 9, Bulletproof material, characterized in that it comprises a polymer structure laminated to the amorphous structure.

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