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PUBLICATIONS

Aging Effects on the Dynamic Tensile Response of Zylon Fibers

Published

Author(s)

Richard L. Rhorer, Joannie W. Chin, Amanda L. Forster, Weinong W. Chen, Bo Song, Xu Nie

Abstract

This paper reports on dynamic tests of fibers used in soft body armor. The type of fiber tested is poly(p-phenylene-2,6- benzobisoxaxole) (PBO), or brand name Zylon. Aged fibers were tested using a modified split Hopkinson pressure bar that loads the single fibers with a high strain-rate to failure. The report describes the testing method and presents data from a series of tests on new and aged fibers. Individual fiber diameters were measured using a scanning electron microscope which determined a large variation in the size and quality of individual fibers. The conclusion of the preliminary data is that there is no obvious effect of the aging process within the variation of the reported measurements.
Proceedings Title
Proceedings of Society for Experimental Mechanics, Society of Experimental Mechanics Annual Meeting
Report Number
823037
Conference Dates
June 4-6, 2007
Conference Location
Springfield, MA
Pub Type
Conferences

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Keywords

Fiber Testing, Soft body armor, Dynamic properties, Homeland security
Process measurement and control

Citation

Rhorer, R. , Chin, J. , Forster, A. , Chen, W. , Song, B. and Nie, X. (2007), Aging Effects on the Dynamic Tensile Response of Zylon Fibers, Proceedings of Society for Experimental Mechanics, Society of Experimental Mechanics Annual Meeting, Springfield, MA, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=823037 (Accessed October 22, 2025)

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Created June 4, 2007, Updated February 19, 2017
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