7 Adam WIŚNIEWSKI Military Institute of Armament Technology NANOTECHNOLOGY FOR INCREASE OF BODY PROTECTION CAPABILITY Abstract: Below we would like to present the results of applied technological process of obtaining flexible vest proofs which contain SiO 2 nanoparticles. Multi-layered Kevlar impregnated with shear thickening fluid (STF) is presented. The behaviour of vest proof as a flexible during normal motion and as a rigid shield while impact of bullet, spike or knife-edge, is shown. Besides, penetration depth of Kevlar impregnated with STF in function of the type of impregnation of 4-Kevlar layers, is pre- sented. Furthermore, the performance of impregnated Kevlar, like dissipation energy while impact, is determined. 1. Introduction The threat posed by global terrorism, at home and abroad, often means that police and army personnel, journalists reporting from war zones and civilian rescue workers have to wear body armour capable of stopping high velocity projectiles such as bullets and bomb shrapnel. Integral body armour has evolved a long way since the 1960s when the ability of alumina ceramics to withstand bullet impacts was discovered. Modern armour is now much more so- phisticated, using advanced materials such as Kevlar and glass fibres together with ceramic and carbon epoxy. The current armour can take multiple hits, provides good fire and smoke resistance and has low toxicity characteristics, a vast improvement on that of the 1960s. How- ever, modern armour generally relies on a ceramic layer to take almost all of the ballistic im- pact. The use of such materials compromises the weight and flexibility of armour in the field. Research conducted by the CCLRC Daresbury Laboratory, Liverpool University, Tuske- gee University (Alabama, USA) and Florida Atlantic University (USA) has validated the pos- sibility of utilising nanotechnology in the design of new materials which will ultimately en- able the production of flexible light-weight body armour. There are several types of body armour: • conventional - contains 20÷40 layers of neat Kevlar, • rigid ceramic inserts - for high threat situations protect torso only, • extremities protection: arms, legs, neck (battlefield statistics from WWII, Korea (Reister, 1973) ~ 16% of deaths due to trauma to extremities and ~ 70% of non-fatal injures to ex- tremities [1]), • flexible, • low bulk, • lightweight, • protective with minimum level - fragments / shrapnel protection. Currently there is no armour for extremities because conventional materials (i.e. neat Kevlar) are too bulky and stiff therefore they do not meet material requirements.