NOTICE: Due to a lapse in annual appropriations, most of this website is not being updated. Learn more.
Form submissions will still be accepted but will not receive responses at this time. Sections of this site for programs using non-appropriated funds (such as NVLAP) or those that are excepted from the shutdown (such as CHIPS and NVD) will continue to be updated.
An official website of the United States government
Here’s how you know
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock (
) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
The Effect of Folding on the Internal Structure of Ballistic Fibers
Published
Author(s)
Haruki Kobayashi, Walter G. McDonough, Hae-Jeong Lee, Jae H. Kim, Amanda L. Forster, Kirk D. Rice, Gale A. Holmes
Abstract
In one of our previous studies, the mechanical properties of poly (p-phenylene benzobisoxazole) (PBO) fibers were degraded when the fibers were folded. When we examined poly (p-phenylene terephthalamide) (PPTA) fibers, we did not find a similar drop in mechanical properties. In the present study, we investigated the possibility of structural changes caused by folding in PBO and PPTA fibers by using small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). From our findings, we postulate that the fibrils in the PBO fibers were subdivided when the fibers were folded whereas the PPTA fibrils did not seem to change. The subdivision for PBO fibers may create new surfaces and defects inside the fibers. Thus, the subdivision may influence not only mechanical properties, but also hydrolytic degradation and other failure pathways.
Kobayashi, H.
, McDonough, W.
, Lee, H.
, Kim, J.
, Forster, A.
, Rice, K.
and Holmes, G.
(2011),
The Effect of Folding on the Internal Structure of Ballistic Fibers, SAMPE 2011, Long Beach, CA, US, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=907676
(Accessed October 1, 2025)