Processes for making high-performance polyethylene multi-filament yarn are disclosed which include the steps of a) making a solution of ultra-high molar mass polyethylene in a solvent; b) spinning of the solution through a spinplate containing at least 5 spinholes into an air-gap to form fluid filaments, while applying a draw ratio DR.sub.fluid; c) cooling the fluid filaments to form solvent-containing gel filaments; d) removing at least partly the solvent from the filaments; and e) drawing the filaments in at least one step before, during and/or after said solvent removing, while applying a draw ratio DR.sub.solid of at least 4, wherein in step b) each spinhole comprises a contraction zone of specific dimension and a downstream zone of diameter Dn and length Dn with Ln/Dn of from 0 to at most 25, to result in a draw ratio DR.sub.fluid=DR.sub.sp*DR.sub.ag of at least 150, wherein DR.sub.sp is the draw ratio in the spinholes and DR.sub.ag is the draw ratio in the air-gap, with DR.sub.sp being greater than 1 and DR.sub.ag at least 1. High-performance polyethylene multifilament yarn, and semi-finished or end-use products containing said yarn, especially to ropes and ballistic-resistant composites, are also disclosed.

A process for manufacturing a light armored curved laminated glazing intended to be fitted in an opening of a transport vehicle suitable for the mass-production fitting of a curved laminated glazing containing two glass sheets, wherein use is made of at least three constituent curved glass sheets of such mass-produced curved laminated glazing containing two glass sheets, including both sheets from one and the same such mass-produced curved laminated glazing containing two glass sheets, which have been previously bent together.

Inventive manufacture of CrB.sub.2—Al.sub.2O.sub.3 composites is based on pressureless sintering. According to typical inventive practice, CrB.sub.2 powder and Al.sub.2O.sub.3 powder are mixed together in selected volumetric proportions so that the volume of the CrB.sub.2 does not exceed 50% of the overall volume of the CrB.sub.2—Al.sub.2O.sub.3 mixture. The CrB.sub.2—Al.sub.2O.sub.3 mixture is shaped into a green body. The green body is pressureless sintered in a non-oxidizing atmosphere at a firing temperature in the approximate range between 1600° C. and 2050° C. The present invention succeeds in preparing, via pressureless sintering, a proportionality-associated range of compositions in the CrB.sub.2—Al.sub.2O.sub.3 system, which is a potentially “advanced” ceramic system. A typical inventively fabricated CrB.sub.2—Al.sub.2O.sub.3 composite is inventively configured in a complex shape, and has “advanced” material (e.g., mechanical) properties that are favorable for a contemplated application. Inventive manufacture of ceramic-ceramic composites is thus dually attributed, and uncommonly so, with complex shape-ability and advanced capability.

Anti-ballistic systems and methods for making same are described. The anti-ballistic systems may be formed from various materials arranged in a structure, such as a wall structure. For example, an anti-ballistic system may be formed from a metal material, a polymer material, and a stone material. In some embodiments, the metal material may include aluminum (for example, an aluminum composite panel), the polymer material may include ethylene vinyl acetate, and the stone material may include granite. The anti-ballistic wall systems may be configured to be resistant to ballistics, blasts, and/or forced entry.

A polymer interlayer comprising a layer comprising a poly(vinyl acetal) resin having a residual hydroxyl content and a residual acetate content, and a plasticizer, wherein the residual hydroxyl content, the residual acetate content and the plasticizer are selected such that the polymer interlayer has at least one glass transition temperature less than about 20° C. and a peak tan delta of greater than 1.33, and a glass panel having a configuration of 2.3-mm glass//interlayer//2.3-mm glass and at 20° C. has a transmission loss, TL.sub.w, of greater than 42 decibels as measured by weighted average sound transmission loss at 2000 to 8000 Hz, and a transmission loss, TL.sub.c, of greater than 38 decibels at the coincident frequency is disclosed.

Resin compositions, layers, and interlayers comprising two or more thermoplastic polymers and at least one RI balancing agent for adjusting the refractive index of at least one of the resins or layers is provided. Such compositions, layers, and interlayers exhibit enhanced optical properties while retaining other properties, such as impact resistance and acoustic performance.

A soft armor panel is provided by work softening a panel formed of a ballistic material. The panel also includes slip planes between adjacent ply groups, the adjacent ply groups remaining unconnected or substantially unconnected at the slip plane. The soft, or conformable, body armor, is resistant to various projectile threats, in which the panel is made by work-softening an otherwise rigid panel. The soft armor panel includes a work softened lamination of a plurality of ply groups. Each ply group comprises one or more layers, each layer comprising a composite material of fibers embedded in a matrix material. A slip plane is disposed between at least one set of adjacent ply groups, such that the adjacent ply groups remain unconnected or substantially unconnected at the slip plane. The softened ballistic panel retains significant ballistic properties, is light weight and can be readily conformed to various torso configurations.

An armor system configured to be coupled to a frame surrounding a window in a vehicle or other structure, such as a building. The armor system may be configured to provide any desired ballistics protection rating. The armor system includes a ballistics-grade armor panel and at least one insert embedded in the ballistics-grade armor panel. The insert extends around at least a portion of a periphery of the ballistics-grade armor panel. The one or more inserts may be configured to reduce the parasitic weight of the armor system.

A fabric and elastomeric material (referred to as a fabric trilayer) combined with a sealant may be applied in such a fashion so as to eliminate or minimize air entrapment in an elastomeric composite structure that forms a seal-sealing volume. The performance of the self-sealing volume is dramatically improved with this minimizing of air entrapment. Surprisingly and unexpectedly, this construction approach may be accomplished without significantly adding to the weight or thickness of the volume and without affecting the outer dimension of the self-sealing volume. Thus, a method and system for forming a self-sealing volume are described. The system includes an elastomeric composite structure comprising at least one layer of an elastomeric material derived from a neat (no solvent) elastomeric material that does not substantially react at room temperature.

A hybrid fabric made of at least one textile base layer and at least one synthetic layer, where the synthetic layer is at least partially embedded within the textile base layer. The embedded synthetic layer imparts numerous qualities to the hybrid fabric formed and possible designs visible through the surface of the fabric. The hybrid fabric may be manufactured in different methods including hot and cold press, knitting, felting and use of intermediate linking adhesive or polymeric layer.