- #1
_Greg_
- 38
- 0
Hi
Im currently doing an HND in chemical engineering and everyone in my class has to do a project of their own choice.
Iv been doing a bit of reading on shear thickening fluids and their application to kevlar to increase its strength against ballistics.
The STF is made up of silica particles (400-500nm) mixed with ethylene glycol, which is then diluted with ethanol for easier absorbtion into the kevlar.
I was thinking of either doing stab tests or i have a shotgun which i could use (would have to do that at home, obviously)
Im just trying to think what my variables would be in the experiment.
What i had in mind was testing different layers & combinations.
e.g:
(1) kevlar layer
(2) kevlar with absorbed STF
(3) 2x kevlar layer + STF layer
(4) STF layer + 2x kevlar layer
(5) 5ml STF in 4 layers kevlar
(6) 10ml STF in 4 layers kevlar
(7) 15ml...
you get the idea
I would have the layers fixed to a clay background, so i can measure the depth of the penetration which would reflect the how well the energy is dissipated.
If the shotgun is too powerful, i could have an aluminium sheet in front to take some of the impact.
The only problem with a shotgun is the pellet spread, it will be different from shot to shot. Not sure if that really matters though, i could just measure the deepest dent in the clay.
So what do you folks think? Does it sound feesable or too far fetched?
Im hoping to go to uni after college so i want to stand out in my class with a great project.
Thanks for reading
Im currently doing an HND in chemical engineering and everyone in my class has to do a project of their own choice.
Iv been doing a bit of reading on shear thickening fluids and their application to kevlar to increase its strength against ballistics.
The STF is made up of silica particles (400-500nm) mixed with ethylene glycol, which is then diluted with ethanol for easier absorbtion into the kevlar.
I was thinking of either doing stab tests or i have a shotgun which i could use (would have to do that at home, obviously)
Im just trying to think what my variables would be in the experiment.
What i had in mind was testing different layers & combinations.
e.g:
(1) kevlar layer
(2) kevlar with absorbed STF
(3) 2x kevlar layer + STF layer
(4) STF layer + 2x kevlar layer
(5) 5ml STF in 4 layers kevlar
(6) 10ml STF in 4 layers kevlar
(7) 15ml...
you get the idea
I would have the layers fixed to a clay background, so i can measure the depth of the penetration which would reflect the how well the energy is dissipated.
If the shotgun is too powerful, i could have an aluminium sheet in front to take some of the impact.
The only problem with a shotgun is the pellet spread, it will be different from shot to shot. Not sure if that really matters though, i could just measure the deepest dent in the clay.
So what do you folks think? Does it sound feesable or too far fetched?
Im hoping to go to uni after college so i want to stand out in my class with a great project.
Thanks for reading
Last edited: