Research on ballistic performance of green shear thickening functionalized fabric based on solid waste modification

Based on the solid waste-based modification, green shear-thickening functionalized ballistic composites were prepared. Silica aerosols were obtained from solid waste diatomaceous earth through sol–gel preparation, gel aging, and supercritical drying. The modified silica aerosols acted as the dispersed phase, regulating the green shear-thickening liquid. A comparison was made between the performance of the modified shear-thickening liquid (SG@STF) and traditional shear-thickening liquids. By modifying solid waste based shear thickener (SG@STF) Combined with aramid fabric (AF) to test Ballistic performance. Characterization tests revealed that the rheological properties of SG@STF were significantly enhanced by increasing the volume fraction of the dispersed phase in STF from 50 % to 60 %. This enhancement was attributed to the addition of reactive functional groups on the surface of the silica sol. Yarn pull-out tests demonstrated that SG@STF/AF improved the tensile strength by 120 % compared to AF fabric, thanks to its superior friction properties. Ballistic tests showed that SG@STF increased the ballistic ultimate velocity of AF fabric by 105 %, elevating AF's ballistic limiting velocity from 51 m/s to 105 m/s. Consequently, SG@STF/AF exhibited superior ballistic properties compared to AF fabric. The doping of SG enhanced the friction between yarns and increased the load-bearing area of the fabrics, thereby improving the ballistic properties of SG@STF/AF and achieving the desired modulation of their ballistic properties.