Identification of Polyurea Coating Properties Based on Their Use in Ballistic Protection

Abstract

<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Currently, armed conflicts are ongoing in many parts of the world, in which soldiers face bombings, ambushes using explosives, small arms and artillery fire, and, more recently, drone attacks on an almost daily basis. Combat-related injuries are a leading cause of soldier hospitalisation. In response to these threats, modern solutions are needed to provide additional protection against fragment-related combat injuries. To this end, preliminary ballistic tests involving polyurea coatings were conducted to demonstrate that such coatings can effectively protect ballistic shielding systems against the ricochet of projectile fragments. The analyses were conducted on the basis of experimental tests of structural elements and basic ballistic tests. The paper presents a verification and assessment of the resistance of structural elements (masonry elements) coated with polyurea to a single-point impact delivered by a 5 kg steel hammer. It also assesses the effect of polyurea coating on reducing the likelihood of ricochets caused by bullet fragments.</span></span></p>