Alumina and low density polyethylene composite for ballistics applications

Abstract The efficiency of alumina and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) composites in ballistic applications was investigated. Different concentrations of alumina were studied, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90 wt.%. The ballistic tests were carried out at subsonic speed using a compressed air system and projectile 0.22. In addition, Charpy impact tests were conducted for mechanical characterization; optical microscope images were used to evaluate the projectile after the ballistic tests; fractography studies were conducted with scanning electron microscope equipped with x-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy detector; density was measured by Archimedes experiment. The results demonstrate that the proposed composites have a good performance in ballistic applications, showing themselves to be a viable alternative. The composite with 80 wt.% alumina and 20 wt.% LDPE showed the best performance.