Application of shear thickening fluid in ultra high molecular weight polyethylene fabric

Abstract An advanced stab‐resistant material composed of shear thickening fluid (STF) and ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fabric was investigated. STF was prepared by dispersing nanosilica (SiO 2 ) into ethylene glycol. The shear thickening behavior of STF with the increase of the shear rate was observed by PhysicaMCR301. STF/UHMWPE composite fabric was synthesized by impregnating UHMWPE fabric in STF dilution. Stab resistant experiment was conducted on a self‐made stab test machine with knife and spike as stab tool. The results demonstrate that the stab resistant property of the UHMWPE fabric is greatly improved by impregnating STF. The stab resistant property is greatly increased with the increase of mass fraction of silica in STF. Especially, when the mass fraction of SiO 2 in STF is 38%, the stab resistance force and energy absorption of STF/UHMWPE are optimal for knife and spike threats. With the same stab resistant properties, the flexibility of UHMWPE fabric impregnated with STF is higher than that of the neat fabric. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013