UD-CCM Team Wins Siple Award at Army Science Conference

2002 Siple Award WINNERS

Dr. Norman Wagner

Dr. Eric Wetzel

Mr. Ron Egres

Dr. Young Sil Lee

Dr. Norman Wagner, professor in the University of Delaware’s Chemical Engineering department with colleagues Dr. Young Sil Lee, a post doctoral fellow, Ron Egres, a first year graduate student and Dr. Eric Wetzel of the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) won the Paul A. Siple Memorial Award for their research titled, "Advanced Body Armor Utilizing Shear Thickening Fluids". The highly coveted Siple Award (also known as the Silver Medallion Award) was presented to the research group this past December during the 23rd Army Science Conference on "Transformational Science and Technology for the Army," in Orlando, Fla. The Siple Award, presented biannually, is named for Dr. Paul A. Siple, the first U.S. scientific attaché to Australia and New Zealand and Antarctic explorer. It also includes a silver medallion for achievement.

The research conducted by the UD-CCM team focuses on the development of colloidal shear thickening fluids (STF) for use as body armor. Colloidal STFs are composed of submicron, rigid particles dispersed at high volume fractions within a carrier fluid. These fluids undergo a novel transition from a fluid-like state at low flow rates, to a solid response, if forced to flow at higher shear rates. “The fundamental understanding of this flow-induced solidification was performed at University of Delaware under the PhD research of Dr. Jonathan Bender (currently on the faculty of the Univ. of South Carolina) and Dr. Brent Maranzano (currently with Rohm and Haas Corp.) over the past decade under the auspices of the National Science Foundation. "Working with scientists at the ARL through the UD-CCM, we have been able to harness this novel, but natural phenomenon for practical applications, which in this case is protecting people from ballistic threats. This research has potential benefits in both civilian and military applications," says Wagner.

Wagner’s work investigates the ballistic properties of woven Kevlar fabrics impregnated with nanocomposite fluids that exhibit shear thickening effects. These novel composites could provide a more flexible and less bulky alternative to neat Kevlar fabrics. For example, Wagner notes that many police officers wear the now familiar Kevlar vests, but do not like the added bulk and inherent inflexibility. “Our focus is on flexible and wearable materials. We can substantially improve the ballistic performance of current ballistic resistant fabrics, while at the same time, making the material more wearable. The obvious application is in extremities protection, but we are exploring many other opportunities where significant contributions may be possible.”

The research, part of UD-CCM’s Composite Materials Technology (CMT) program, has significant implications for producing body armor with enhanced ballistic protection for ground forces in combat. Currently, soldiers wear uniforms composed of several or more layers Kevlar for ballistic protection and ceramic tile inserts for safeguarding against additional impacts. “Our research shows that these novel nanocomposite materials provide a more flexible, and less bulky, alternative to neat Kevlar fabrics,” says Wagner. “Further, working with UD undergraduates Keith Kirkwood and John Kirkwood, we have embarked on a more fundamental understanding of the ballistic resistance afforded by high strength materials such as woven Kevlar and how our novel composites enhance that resistance. This basic understanding should enable us to re-evaluate current ballistic resistant fabric technologies and, working with our ARL partners, propose and explore improvements.”