Fabric architectures for improved ballistic impact performance

Abstract

A woven fabric from yarn for use in the manufacture of ballistic projectile or puncture resistant articles where the fabric has a first plurality of parallel oriented yarns within the plane of the fabric interwoven with a second plurality of parallel oriented yarns within the plane of the fabric having a direction/orientation within the plane of the fabric different from that of the first plurality and where the crossing of any fiber yarn from the first plurality with a fiber yarn from the second plurality forms a pair of acute vertical angles having an angular measurement less than 90 degrees.

1 . A fabric woven from yarn for use in the manufacture of ballistic projectile resistant articles, said fabric, comprising a first plurality of parallel oriented yarns within the plane of the fabric, interwoven with a second plurality of parallel oriented yarns within the plane of the fabric having a direction/orientation within the plane of the fabric different from that of the first plurality, where the crossing of any fiber yarn from the first plurality with a fiber yarn from the second plurality forms a pair of acute vertical angles having an angular measurement less than 90 degrees. 
     
     
         2 . The fabric of  claim 1 , where the fabric is comprised of fiber yarns containing aromatic polyamides including poly(p-phenylene teraphthalamide), poly(metaphenylene isophthalamide), p-phenylenebenzobisoxazole, polybenzoxazole, polybenzothiazole, aromatic unsaturated polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate, aromatic polyimides, aromatic polyamideimides, aromatic polyesteramideimides, aromatic polyetheramideimides and aromatic polyesterimides or copolymers of any of the above mentioned classes of materials. 
     
     
         3 . The fabric of  claim 1 , where the fabric is comprised of fiber yarns containing ultra high molecular weight polyethylene. 
     
     
         4 . The fabric of  claim 1 , where the angular measure of the acute vertical angles is between 80 and 89 degrees. 
     
     
         5 . The fabric of  claim 1 , where the angular measure of the acute vertical angles is between 70 and 80 degrees. 
     
     
         6 . The fabric of  claim 1 , where the angular measure of the acute vertical angles is between 60 and 70 degrees. 
     
     
         7 . The fabric of  claim 1 , where the angular measure of the acute vertical angles is between 50 and 60 degrees. 
     
     
         8 . The fabric of  claim 1 , where the angular measure of the acute vertical angles is between 40 and 50 degrees. 
     
     
         9 . The fabric of  claim 1 , where the angular measure of the acute vertical angles is between 30 and 40 degrees. 
     
     
         10 . The fabric of  claim 1 , where the angular measure of the acute vertical angles is between 20 and 30 degrees. 
     
     
         11 . The fabric of  claim 1 , where the angular measure of the acute vertical angles is between 10 and 20 degrees. 
     
     
         12 . The fabric of  claim 1 , where the angular measure of the acute vertical angles is less than 10 degrees. 
     
     
         13 . A multi-layer ballistic projectile or puncture resistant article assembled from a plurality of substantially unattached non-woven fabric layers, woven fabric layers, or composite fabric plies in which at least one of the layers in the assembly is a biaxial fabric made of fiber yarns having a first plurality of parallel oriented yarns within the plane of the fabric, interwoven with a second plurality of parallel oriented yarns within the plane of the fabric having a direction/orientation within the plane of the fabric different from that of the first plurality, where the crossing of any fiber yarn from the first plurality with a fiber yarn from the second plurality forms a pair of acute vertical angles having an angular measurement less than 90 degrees. 
     
     
         14 . The article of  claim 13 , where the angular measure of the acute vertical angles of at least one of the biaxial fabric layers is between 80 and 89 degrees. 
     
     
         15 . The article of  claim 13 , where the angular measure of the acute vertical angles of at least one of the biaxial fabric layers is between 70 and 80 degrees. 
     
     
         16 . The article of  claim 13 , where the angular measure of the acute vertical angles of at least one of the biaxial fabric layers is between 60 and 70 degrees. 
     
     
         17 . The article of  claim 13 , where the angular measure of the acute vertical angles of at least one of the biaxial fabric layers is between 50 and 60 degrees. 
     
     
         18 . The article of  claim 13 , where the angular measure of the acute vertical angles of at least one of the biaxial fabric layers is between 40 and 50 degrees. 
     
     
         19 . The article of  claim 13 , where the angular measure of the acute vertical angles of at least one of the biaxial fabric layers is between 30 and 40 degrees. 
     
     
         20 . The article of  claim 13 , where the angular measure of the acute vertical angles of at least one of the biaxial fabric layers is between 20 and 30 degrees. 
     
     
         21 . The article of  claim 13 , where the angular measure of the acute vertical angles of at least one of the biaxial fabric layers is between 10 and 20 degrees. 
     
     
         22 . The article of  claim 13 , where the angular measure of the acute vertical angles of at least one of the biaxial fabric layers is less than 10 degrees. 
     
     
         23 . The article of  claim 13 , in which at least two of the biaxial fabric layers are oriented such that the yarn orientations in one layer are offset from the yarn orientations in a second layer. 
     
     
         24 . The article of  claim 13 , in which at least two of the biaxial fabric layers are oriented such that the yarn orientations in one layer are the same as the yarn orientations in a second layer. 
     
     
         25 . A composite fabric ply comprising at least one fabric woven from yarn for use in the manufacture of ballistic projectile resistant articles, said fabric, comprising a first plurality of parallel oriented yarns within the plane of the fabric, interwoven with a second plurality of parallel oriented yarns within the plane of the fabric having a direction/orientation within the plane of the fabric different from that of the first plurality, where the crossing of any fiber yarn from the first plurality with a fiber yarn from the second plurality forms a pair of acute vertical angles having an angular measurement less than 90 degrees and one other fabric layer.