Effects of Heat Treatments on Puncture Resistant Properties of Polyamine and Polyamide-based Nonwoven Fabrics

In countries with severe gun regulations, soldiers and police officers are commonly attacked by sharp weapons. The current personal protective equipment is too heavy, and therefore, in this study, mechanically strong Kevlar® fibers, nylon fibers, and Low-melting-point polyester (LMPET) fibers are needle punched to make thin, light, and comfortable nonwoven fabrics. Hot-baking and hot-pressing heat treatments are used for thermal bonding fibers, which subsequently generate a dense and rigid surface because nonwoven fabrics are subjected to damaged structure by needle punch or a slippery state due to the fibers’ properties. The results of the air permeability, tensile strength, and quasi-static stab resistance testings verify that the dense surface is correlated with hot-pressing heat treatment.