Environmentally resistant ballistic composite based on a nitrile rubber binder
View Patent ↗Ballistic resistant fabrics and articles that retain superior ballistic resistance performance after exposure to liquids such as sea water and organic solvents, such as gasoline and other petroleum-based products. The fabrics are formed from high performance fibers coated with a nitrile rubber binder polymer having an acrylonitrile content of from about 15 wt. % to about 50 wt. %, and are optionally coated with a binder that is a blend of a nitrile rubber and a fluorine-containing material.
1. A ballistic resistant fabric comprising a plurality of fibers, said fibers being united and forming a fabric, said fibers having a tenacity of about 7 g/denier or more and a tensile modulus of about 150 g/denier or more; and said fibers having a polymeric binder material thereon which comprises a non-crosslinked nitrile rubber polymer, said binder being resistant to dissolution, penetration and/or transpiration by water and resistant to dissolution, penetration and/or transpiration by one or more organic solvents.
2. The ballistic resistant fabric of claim 1 , wherein said fibers are non-woven.
3. The ballistic resistant fabric of claim 2 wherein said fabric comprises a plurality of non-woven fiber plies, wherein each fiber ply comprises a plurality of unidirectional fibers arranged in a substantially parallel array, and wherein each of said fiber plies are cross-plied at an angle relative to the fiber direction of each adjacent fiber ply.
4. The ballistic resistant fabric of claim 1 , wherein said non-crosslinked nitrile rubber polymer has an acrylonitrile content of from about 15 wt % to about 50 wt %.
5. The ballistic resistant fabric of claim 4 wherein said non-crosslinked nitrile rubber polymer has an acrylonitrile content of from about 15 wt. % to about 30 wt. %.
6. The ballistic resistant fabric of claim 1 , wherein said polymeric binder material comprises from about 2% to about 50% by weight of said fabric.
7. The ballistic resistant fabric of claim 1 , wherein said polymeric binder material comprises a blend of said non-crosslinked nitrile rubber polymer and a fluorine-containing material.
8. The ballistic resistant fabric of claim 7 wherein said fluorine-containing material comprises from about 5 wt. % to about 20 wt. % of said polymeric binder material.
9. The ballistic resistant fabric of claim 1 wherein said non-crosslinked nitrile rubber polymer comprises a nitrile rubber terpolymer.
10. The ballistic resistant fabric of claim 9 wherein said terpolymer is formed from an acrylonitrile monomer, a butadiene rubber monomer, and N-methylol acrylamide.
11. The ballistic resistant fabric of claim 1 wherein said non-crosslinked nitrile rubber polymer comprises a carboxylated nitrile rubber terpolymer.
12. The ballistic resistant fabric of claim 1 wherein said non-crosslinked nitrile rubber polymer comprises a hydrogenated nitrile rubber.
13. The ballistic resistant fabric of claim 1 wherein said polymeric binder material further comprises at least one surfactant.
14. A ballistic resistant article formed from said ballistic resistant fabric of claim 1 .
15. A method of producing a ballistic resistant fabric, the method comprising either step I) or step II), wherein:
I) applying a polymeric binder material onto a plurality of fibers and thereafter forming a non-woven fabric from said fibers; said fibers having a tenacity of about 7 g/denier or more and a tensile modulus of about 150 g/denier or more;
wherein said polymeric binder material comprises a non-crosslinked nitrile rubber polymer, said binder being resistant to dissolution, penetration and/or transpiration by water and resistant to dissolution, penetration and/or transpiration by one or more organic solvents, wherein said non-crosslinked nitrile rubber polymer has an acrylonitrile content of from about 15 wt % to about 50 wt % and said polymeric binder material comprises from about 2% to about 50% by weight of said fabric; or
II) organizing a plurality of fibers into at least one fiber layer, thereafter combining said at least one fiber layer with a polymeric binder material to form a non-woven fabric; said fibers having a tenacity of about 7 g/denier or more and a tensile modulus of about 150 g/denier or more; wherein said polymeric binder material comprises a non-crosslinked nitrile rubber polymer, said binder being resistant to dissolution, penetration and/or transpiration by water and resistant to dissolution, penetration and/or transpiration by one or more organic solvents, wherein said non-crosslinked nitrile rubber polymer has an acrylonitrile content of from about 15 wt % to about 50 wt % and said polymeric binder material comprises from about 2% to about 50% by weight of said fabric.
16. The method of claim 15 wherein step I) is conducted.
17. The method of claim 15 wherein step II) is conducted.
18. A ballistic resistant fabric comprising a plurality of fibers, said fibers being united and forming a fabric, said fibers having a tenacity of about 7 g/denier or more and a tensile modulus of about 150 g/denier or more; and said fibers having a polymeric binder material thereon which comprises a nitrile rubber polymer and at least one surfactant, said binder being resistant to dissolution, penetration and/or transpiration by water and resistant to dissolution, penetration and/or transpiration by one or more organic solvents.
19. The ballistic resistant fabric of claim 18 , wherein said fibers are non-woven.
20. The ballistic resistant fabric of claim 19 , wherein said fibers comprise polyethylene.