Fabrication of Protective Composite Structures by Infusion Technology to Resist the Blast Wave

The paper presents the results of experiments on the use of infusion of polymer binders into a pre - constructed skeleton of reinforcing structures. Currently, three - layer structures with an average layer of aluminum honeycombs are considered to be one of the effective structural elements that ensure the damping of the blast wave. As an alternative middle layer, it is possible to offer elements of various shapes (cylinders, cubes, etc.) and geometries made of modern composites that are well - proven under the impact of a shock wave. These are, as is known, metal - polymer composites, i.e. materials containing, in addition to polymer binder and fabric filler, thin layers of metal. In order to form a solid structure that perceives an explosive load, an attempt was made to use RFI technology to obtain individual elements with which two steel sheets are connected. Aramid, glass fabrics and aluminum thin (0.5, 0.15, 0.05 mm) plates were used in the experiments. For the implementation of the infusion process, an epoxy resin was used, suitable in its technological parameters for this process. The use of this resin leads to the minimization of non - nourished areas and pores. In this case, the uniformity of the product obtained from the composite material is achieved. It should be added that RFI technology differs from other polymer processing technologies in the following significant advantages: the possibility of abandoning expensive equipment, reducing energy costs for equipment and its maintenance, and complete rejection of the use of prepregs. However, there are a number of difficulties that are associated with the technological process of infusion, these primarily include the rheological requirements of the binder: at room temperature, the resin should have a low viscosity, and in the practice of fillers, the viscosity should have rather low values. Below are some preliminary plans for the development of this technology in order to obtain a product that provides attenuation of the blast wave .