Impact-resistant lightweight polymeric laminates
11491769 · 2022-11-08
Assignee
Inventors
Cpc classification
B29C48/154
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B32B2571/02
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
F41H5/0478
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
B29C48/21
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B32B2255/10
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B32B38/1816
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
F41H5/0428
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
B29C48/022
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B30B15/064
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B32B37/04
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
F41H5/0457
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
B32B37/153
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
C08J2369/00
CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
C08J2467/02
CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
B29L2007/008
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
F41H5/0407
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
B32B2367/00
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B29C48/0021
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B29C48/0018
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
International classification
C08J5/12
CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
B29C48/21
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B29C48/00
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B29C48/154
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B32B37/04
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
F41H5/04
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
B32B38/18
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B32B37/15
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
Abstract
Bonded polymeric film laminates comprising core polymer film layers individually coated on at least one side with a heat fusible polymer layer and fusion bonded together by the application of heat and pressure at a temperature at which each heat fusible polymer coating bonds together adjacent core polymer film layers, where the melting point or softening temperature of the heat fusible polymer is at least 3° C. below that of the core layer polymer, and the lamination temperature is at or above the melting point or softening temperature of the heat fusible coating polymer, where the heat fusible polymer coating layers are thinner than the core polymer film layers, where the coated core polymer film layers are uniaxially stretched by 2× to 40×, and the stretched coated core polymer film layers are cross-plied. Methods for forming the laminates, coated films from which the laminates are formed, and articles formed from the laminates are also disclosed.
Claims
1. A method of forming transparent bonded laminates comprising: applying a heat fusible polymer layer onto at least one surface of a core polymer film layer by co-extrusion, post-extrusion or solution coating to form a surface coated core layer; laminating a plurality of said surface coated core layers so that adjoining core polymer film layers have at least one heat fusible polymer layer there-between; fusion bonding with heat and pressure said surface coated core polymer layers at a temperature at which the laminate remains transparent so that molecular diffusion and/or polymer chain entanglement occurs at heat fusible polymer layer interfaces whereby the core polymer film layers or the heat fusible polymer layers are bonded together with heat fusible polymer layers from adjacent film layers to form a transparent bonded laminate; and cooling the laminate; wherein said heat fusible polymer layers are thinner than said core polymer film layers, said melting or softening temperature of said heat fusible polymer is at least about 5° C. lower than said melting or softening temperature of the polymers of said core polymer film layers, and said coated core polymer film layers are uniaxially oriented and stretched by 2× to 40×, to form stretched coated core polymer film layers having a thickness between about 5 and about 2,000 microns; wherein said core polymer film layers have melting or softening temperatures between about 100 and about 350° C.; wherein the core polymers are selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, polypropylene copolymers, and mixtures thereof, and the heat fusible polymers are selected from the group consisting of polypropylene copolymers and polyethylene copolymers; or, the core polymers are selected from the group consisting of polyester polymers, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyester copolymers, and PET copolymers, and mixtures of two or more thereof, and the heat fusible polymers are selected from the group consisting of polyester polymers, polyester copolymers, PET copolymers, amorphous polyesters, ethylene vinyl acetates (EVA), polymeric ionomers, ethylene-acrylic acid (EAA) copolymers, ethylene-methacrylic acid (EMA) copolymers, and polyurethanes; wherein said laminating and fusion bonding are performed in a compression mold which has a predesigned moldable and polished surface for a transparent impact article; wherein the pressure during fusion bonding is between about 400 and about 5000 psi; wherein the pressure during cooling is maintained between about 400 and about 5000 psi; so that said laminate is transparent, and is 0.2 to 1.5 cm thick with less than 2% thickness variation across the laminate, wherein the laminate transparency and low thickness variation are produced by laminating said core polymer film layers coated with a heat fusible polymer layer, in said compression mold having a polished surface.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein said heat fusible polymer layers are applied to both the top and bottom sides of each core polymer film layer by co-extrusion or post-extrusion.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein said surface coated core polymer film layers are uniaxially stretched following extrusion.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein said heat fusible polymer layers are applied to each core polymer film layer by solution-coating at least one of the core polymer layers with a water-based or solvent-based solution of the polymer of said heat fusible polymer layer, or a precursor thereof.
5. A transparent impact-resistant article fabricated using the method of claim 1.
6. The laminate of claim 5, composed of subunits wherein at least 2 films have the same orientation.
7. The laminate of claim 6, consisting of layers of different coated core polymers alternating within said laminate, so that no two adjacent core polymer film layers consist of the same core polymer.
8. The laminate of claim 6, consisting of a plurality of sub-laminates, wherein each sub-laminate consists of a plurality of coated core polymer film layers of the same core polymer and sub-laminates of different core polymers alternate within said laminate, so that no two adjacent sub-laminates consist of the same core polymer.
9. The laminate of claim 5, consisting of coated core polymer film layers of two or more different core polymers.
10. An impact-resistant article consisting of the laminate of claim 5, further laminated with one or more other polymeric or non-polymeric sheets bonded by one or more adhesive layers, wherein said polymeric sheets are selected from the group consisting of polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA), polyamide, polycarbonate (PC), polyetherimide (PEI), polyethersulfone (PES), thermoplastic polymeric composite, and thermosetting polymeric composite sheets, and wherein said non-polymeric sheets are selected from the group consisting of annealed glass, heat treated glass, ceramic, and metal sheets.
11. The impact-resistant article of claim 10, wherein said article is an impact-resistant window, a ballistic-resistant window, vehicle body armor, an impact-resistant panel, a blast barrier, or a ballistic shield.
12. The impact-resistant article of claim 10, wherein said sheets are selected from the group consisting of annealed glass, heat treated glass, ceramic, and transparent plastic.
13. The impact-resistant article of claim 12 wherein said transparent plastic is selected from the group consisting of polymethylmethacrylate and polycarbonate.
14. The impact-resistant article of claim 5, wherein said article is an automotive part.
15. The impact-resistant article of claim 5, wherein said article is a polymeric laminate for ballistic protection, or is an explosive blast barrier.
16. The impact-resistant article of claim 15, wherein said article is a vehicle body armor panel, a personnel armor system, or a ballistic shield.
17. The impact-resistant article of claim 15, selected from the group consisting of protective eyewear, a face shield, a window for a combat or armored vehicle, a ballistic shield window, an aircraft transparency, a sensor window, an infrared dome for a missile, a laser ignition window for medium to large caliber cannons, a law enforcement vehicle window, and armor for executive protection.
18. The impact-resistant article of claim 15, wherein said article is hard coated.
19. The laminate of claim 5, wherein said laminate contains about 20 to about 4000 coated core polymer film layers.
20. The laminate of claim 5, wherein the melting point or softening temperature of the polymer of said heat fusible polymer layer is about 80° C. to about 200° C.
21. The laminate of claim 5, wherein the pressure during fusion bonding is between about 700 and about 3000 psi.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
(12) Advanced high performance impact-resistant polymeric film laminates are provided, with V.sub.50 ballistic performance at least about 10% greater than current state-of-the-art transparent armor materials at the same thickness or areal density, such as polycarbonates. The inventive laminates are prepared from high strength and/or high elastic modulus axially stretched and oriented polymer films with optimized surface fusible layers coated on at least one surface, but preferably both surfaces. The inventive laminates have considerably improved optical properties compared to the prior art film laminates.
(13) A laminate layer 10 according to the present invention is depicted in
(14) In the embodiments depicted in
(15) The films can be non-stretched, unidirectionally stretched, or biaxially stretched. Unidirectionally and biaxially stretched films are preferred, and unidirectionally stretched films are the most preferred. Core layer films with thicknesses in the range of about 25 to about 100 microns are preferred for laminate armor applications. In some embodiments the core layer film thickness is about 30 to about 90 microns, or about 40 to about 80 microns, or about 50 to about 70 microns, or about 60 microns.
(16) The heat fusible coating layer polymers have a melting point or softening temperature at least 3° C. lower, and preferably at least 10° C. lower, than the core layer polymer melting point or softening temperature. Typically, the melting or softening point temperature of the heat fusible coating layer polymer is from about 65 to about 265° C. compared to a melting or softening point temperature of between about 100 and about 350° C. for the core layer polymer. Preferably, the melting point or softening temperature of the heat fusible coating layer polymer is about 80 to about 200° C. compared to a melting or softening point temperature of between about 120 and about 260° C. for the core layer polymer. Most of the melting or softening temperatures can be obtained from manufacturer's datasheets; otherwise, softening temperature is defined and measured according to ASTM D-1525, and melting temperature is measured by Differential Scanning calorimetry (DSC).
(17) The thickness of the heat fusible coating layer is as thin as possible, from less than about one micron to no more than about one-third of the thickness of the core film layer. The heat fusible coating layer is preferably less than about one-fifth of the thickness of the core polymer film layer. The heat fusible coating layer is more preferably less than about one-tenth of the thickness of the core polymer film layer.
(18) Essentially any polymer capable of being directionally stretched is suitable for use in the present invention. Examples of suitable core layer polymers include polyethylene, such as HOSTALEN® GD9555 from Basell Polyolefins, polypropylene, such as MOPLEN® from Basell Polyolefins, polypropylene copolymers, such as MOPLEN® HP520 from Basell Polyolefins, polyethylene terephthalates (PET) and its copolymers, such as INVISTA® 3301 from Invista, polyacrylates and their copolymers, including polymethylmethacrylates (PMMA), such as EG920 PMMA from LG Chemical, cyclic olefin copolymers (COC), such as TOPAS® 6013F-04 from Topas Advanced Polymers, polycarbonates (PC) and their copolymers, such as MAKROLON® 1239 from Bayer Material Science, polyetherimides (PEI), such as ULTEM® 8015 from SABIC Innovative Plastics, polyethersulfones (PES), such as ULTRASON® P3010 from BASF, and the like, all of which have melting point temperatures between about 100 and about 350° C.
(19) Heat fusible coating layer polymers should be chemically compatible with core layer polymers, for example, polyethylene (PE) and its copolymers, e.g., ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers, ethylene acrylic acid copolymers, linear low density polyethylene, ultra-low density polyethylene, polymeric ionomers, etc., such as NUCREL® 0609HSA ethylene meth-acrylic acid copolymer from Dupont and Polyethylene 1211G1 from Dow Chemical, are compatible with core polymer PE films and polypropylene copolymers such as ADSYL® 5C30F from Basell Polyolefins are compatible with core polymer PP films.
(20) If there is no compatible heat fusible polymer available, an adhesive layer is used to bond the heat fusible polymer coating layers to the core polymer layer, as depicted in
(21) Both the core layer polymer films and the heat fusible layers preferably have a density between about 0.90 and about 1.80 g/cc. More preferably, the density of the core polymer layer film is about 0.90 g/cc, and the density of the heat fusible layer is about 0.90 to about 1.2 g/cc
(22) The heat fusible polymer layers are coated onto the core polymer layer by co-extrusion, post-extrusion application or solution coating.
(23) When co-extrusion is employed for unidirectionally and biaxially stretched films, axial stretching is performed after the core polymer film and heat fusible polymer layers are co-extruded together. When post-extrusion application is employed for unidirectionally and biaxially stretched films, axial stretching is performed after the heat fusible polymer layers are post-extruded onto an unstretched pre-formed core polymer film layer. When the heat fusible polymer layer is solution coated onto the core polymer layer, axial stretching, when employed, is performed prior to coating the core polymer layer with the heat fusible polymer layer. Corona discharge treatment or other surface modification treatment of the core polymer layer might be required to improve adhesion, and is performed after axial stretching but prior to solution coating.
(24) In one embodiment of present invention, co-extrusion is an in-line process using multiple extruders to produce the multi-layered film structures depicted in
(25) In one embodiment of present invention, post-extrusion is used to coat heat fusible layers on core polymer film layers. Post-extrusion is very similar to co-extrusion; see above for appropriate process and material selection. The only difference is that the heat fusible layer is extruded onto an existing core polymer layer. One benefit of the post-extrusion is that the core polymer layers can be directly obtained from commercially available plastic sheets.
(26) In one embodiment of present invention, solution coating is employed to coat heat fusible layers onto core polymer film layers. Solution coating of the heat fusible polymer layers onto core polymer layers is an off-line process using a solvent- or water-based polymer or polymer precursor to coat a thin layer of lower melting point or lower softening temperature polymer onto the core polymer layer surface(s). The heat fusible polymer layers applied by solution coating processes tend to be thinner, typically from less than one micron to less than about one-quarter of the core layer thickness. In one embodiment of the present invention, the core polymer films which have low surface energy including polypropylene, polyester, and the like, require corona treatment or other surface activation treatment to oxidize the surface in order to generate functional groups and increase surface energy. In another embodiment of the present invention, the core polymer films which have high surface energy, such as PC, PET, PETG, nylon, TPU, polyacrylate, EVA, EMA, and the like, usually don't require additional surface treatment before hard coating. However, surface treatment can be still applied to the high surface energy films if necessary.
(27) Three types of hard coating resins are preferred for the coating process: acrylic resins, polyurethane resins and siloxane resin systems. Amorphous polyester can also be solvent coated onto some of the core films, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film. The minimum fusion temperature can be adjusted by conventional modification of the chemical structure of the resins, such as by adjusting the amount and type of co-monomer, e.g., butyl acrylate or octyl acrylate, in an acrylic resin, or the amount and type of the soft segment, e.g., polyester polyol or polyether polyol, in a polyurethane resin. Siloxane hard coating resin systems include but are not limited to methyl silicone, methyl/phenyl silicone, alkoxy silicone, epoxy silicone, mercapto silicone, alicyclic epoxy silicone, and the like.
(28) Polymer precursor coating processes according to the present invention include applying a UV, E-Beam or thermally curable coating onto a core film. After a plurality of surface coated films are consolidated under heat and pressure to form the bonded laminate, the laminate is subsequently exposed to heat or UV radiation to form a cross-linked polymer network between two adjacent heat fusible layers to create a much stronger bond.
(29) Preferred polymer precursor coating processes according to the present invention apply a UV curable fusible acrylic, siloxane or polyurethane resin onto stretched core film layers. A cross-linked polymer network between two adjacent heat fusible layers is formed upon exposure of the bonded laminate to UV radiation.
(30) For all of the co-extruded, post-extruded or solution-coated embodiments, axial stretching is performed by conventional means, using, for example and without limitation, unidirectional drawing, blow film extrusion, sequential biaxial stretching, simultaneous longitudinal and transverse drawing, the double bubble process, and the like. Stretched films are stretched as high as possible, in one direction for unidirectional films and in both machine (MD) and transverse directions (TD) for biaxially stretched films. Unidirectional film stretching is more preferable. Films stretched between about 2× and about 40× in one direction in unidirectional films and in both directions in biaxially oriented films are preferred, with films stretched between about 4× and about 40× in either or both directions being more preferred. For biaxially stretched films the stretching factor in the machine and transverse directions can be the same or different.
(31) Suitable stretched core layer polymer films with heat fusible layers should have tensile strength greater than 20,000 psi as measured by ASTM D-882 in the main stretched direction. The tensile strength of the film is preferably above about 30,000 psi in the stretched direction. More preferably, the tensile strength of the film is above about 45,000 psi in the stretched direction.
(32) Laminates according to one embodiment of the present invention consist of plural layers of the same core polymer. According to another embodiment of the present invention, hybrid film laminates are provided in which core polymer film layers of two or more different polymers are employed. One hybrid film laminate according to this embodiment consists of core polymer film layers in which core layers of different polymers alternate within the laminate (alternate film stacking), so that no two adjacent polymer film core layers consist of the same polymer.
(33) Such a laminate 75 is depicted in
(34) Another hybrid film laminate according to this aspect of the present invention consists of a plurality of sub-laminate blocks, where each sub-laminate block consists of a plurality of core polymer film layers of the same polymer and sub-laminate blocks of different polymers alternate within the laminate, so that no two adjacent sub-laminates consist of the same polymer (alternate block stacking). Such a laminate 90 is depicted in
(35) Heat fusible coating layers on the top and bottom surface of each core polymer film layer form heat fusible layers 100a, 100b, etc., that bond the sub-laminate block layers together and also join adjacent blocks together. Likewise, the heat fusible coating layers can be applied to only one surface of each core polymer film layer (not shown). If necessary, adhesive layers can be used to bond together incompatible layers (not shown). In all embodiments, adjacent core polymer film layers of the same or different polymer are bonded together by heat fusible coating layers.
(36) Examples of hybrid film stacked polymer combinations include acrylic coated unidirectionally stretched polypropylene in combination with acrylic coated unidirectionally stretched polyethylene terephthalate, or in combination with unidirectionally stretched thermoplastic polyurethane.
(37) Laminates according to the present invention preferably contain between about 3 and about 4,000 core polymer film layers. In some embodiments the laminates contain about 10 to about 4000, or about 20 to about 4000, or about 50 to about 4000, or about 75 to about 4000, or about 100 to about 4000, or about 150 to about 4000, or about 200 to about 4000, or about 250 to about 4000, or about 300 to about 4000, or about 400 to about 4000, or about 500 to about 4000, or about 750 to about 4000, or about 1000 to about 4000 core polymer film layers. Bonded laminates according to the present invention are between about 0.2 and about 10 cm thick. In some embodiments the laminates are about 0.25 to about 10 cm thick, or about 0.3 to about 10, or about 0.4 to about 10, or about 0.5 to about 10, or about 0.6 to about 10, or about 0.7 to about 10, or about 0.8 to about 10, or about 0.9 to about 10, or about 1 to about 10, or about 2 to about 10, or about 3 to about 10, or about 4 to about 10, or about 5 to about 10 cm thick. In other embodiments the laminate is 0.25, 0.4, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, 6.5, 7.0, 7.5, 8.0, 8.5, 9.0, 9.5 or 10 cm thick.
(38) As disclosed herein, a number of ranges of values are provided. It is understood that each intervening value, to the tenth of the unit of the lower limit, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, between the upper and lower limits of that range is also specifically disclosed. Each smaller range between any stated value or intervening value in a stated range and any other stated or intervening value in that stated range is encompassed within the invention. The upper and lower limits of these smaller ranges may independently be included or excluded in the range, and each range where either, neither, or both limits are included in the smaller ranges is also encompassed within the invention, subject to any specifically excluded limit in the stated range. Where the stated range includes one or both of the limits, ranges excluding either or both of those included limits are also included in the invention. The term “about” generally refers to plus or minus 10% of the indicated number. For example, “about 10%” may indicate a range of 9% to 11%, and “about 20” may mean from 18 to 22. Other meanings of “about” may be apparent from the context, such as rounding off; so, for example “about 1” may also mean from 0.5 to 1.4.
(39) In preferred embodiments the core polymer film layers of the laminates are uniaxially stretched and coated with heat-fusible layers on both side. In preferred embodiments the uniaxially stretched and coated core polymer film layers are cut into predesignated dimensions and cross-plied to form the laminates.
(40) Early in the development of the presently disclosed technology, cross-plying was used in the preparation of hybrid laminated films with thermoplastic composites, for example, with cross-plies of S2 glass polypropylene composite, for vehicle or tank armor applications. One goal of this early work was to stop small arms 5.56 mm and 762 mm balls or projectiles at muzzle velocity.
(41) The term “cross-plied” as used herein generally means a 90 degree orientation of each successive uniaxially stretched ply or the main stretched direction of bi-axially stretched ply with regard to its direction of stretching. Such a laminate 300 is depicted in
(42) Cross-plying the coated core polymer film layers, combined with the disclosed manufacturing process provides the required antiballistic properties of the resulting laminates, which laminates are superior to those described in the prior art, vide infra.
(43) The fusion bonding of core polymer layers that have been surface coated with at least one heat fusible layer, stretched and oriented, is performed by compression molding; for example, by the process depicted in
(44) According to the prior art that discloses fabrication of heat fusible laminates, no pressure, or only weak pressure, is applied to the laminates during the cooling cycle. However, it has now been discovered that the lamination pressure should be maintained during the cooling cycle in order to avoid laminate shrinkage upon cooling. Further, if no appropriate cooling pressure is applied, the optical and ballistic properties of the laminates deteriorate. Typically, the cooling pressure should be equivalent to the lamination pressure. Preferably, the cooling pressure is between about 20 and about 5000 psi, preferably between about 20 and about 3000 psi, and more preferably above about 200 psi.
(45) The process according to the present invention improves the impact-resistance ballistic properties of the laminates and the optical properties of transparent laminates over prior art laminates and monolithic polymer sheets. As discussed and disclosed above, this is attributable at least to the following elements: 1) the presence of heat fusible layers lowers the lamination temperature to improve the optical properties and ballistic resistance; 2) use of films with very high tensile strength in the laminate; 3) maintaining at least 200 psi of lamination pressure during both the heating and cooling cycles; 4) the disclosed improved lamination process shortens cycling time and ensures temperature uniformity during lamination; 5) incorporating additives can efficiently lower the haze of the laminates and reduce the yellowing effects from processing and outdoor exposure (vide infra); 6) eliminating dust in the manufacturing environment; and 7) using a highly polished mold to fabricate the final shape of the laminates.
(46) According to other processing refinements that provide improvements to optical performance in transparent laminates, heat stabilizers and UV stabilizers are optionally added to film resin formulations to reduce and even eliminate the yellowing that would otherwise occur from heating during the film stretching process or from sun exposure, and the UV absorber and stabilizer can also absorb the UV radiation from the sunlight to protect the users. Nucleators or clarifiers are optionally added to the film resin formulations that naturally form crystals upon heating, providing improvements to optical performance. When polymers crystallize upon heating, once the polymer crystal grows to a certain size, significant light scattering from the crystals reduces light transmission and increases haze.
(47) In one embodiment, both core polymer layers and heat fusible layers are compounded with additive(s). In another embodiment, only the core polymer layer is compounded with additive(s). In another embodiment, neither the core polymer layer nor the heat fusible layer is compounded with additive(s).
(48) The colorant can mask the yellowish color of the film and laminate sometimes obtained after thermal processing, and such colorants include, without limitation, transparent blue tint and Cu-phthalocyanine. Since the invention is applicable to transparent armor, it is preferable that the laminated article can absorb UV radiation to reduce damage to the eyes. UV absorbers include, without limitation, octabenzone, bumetrizole, hydroxyphenyl triazine, hydroxylphenyl benzotriazole and titanium oxide. UV stabilizers can trap free radicals that are formed from UV radiation-induced photodegradation processes in the film laminate. UV stabilizers include, without limitation, benzophenones, benzoate, tetramethyl-4-piperidinyl stearate and benzotriazole. Nucleators and clarifiers include, without limitation, aromatic carboxylic salts (e.g. sodium benzonate), talc, dibenzylidene sorbitol (DBS), sorbitol acetals, organophosphate salts, norbonane carboxylic acid salt, and the like.
(49) The polymer resin additives are incorporated by conventional means during the original film formation process or in a polymer resin modification process. With one or more of these resin additives, used alone or in combination, the optical properties of the laminated films of the present invention are comparable to or better than optical properties of monolithic polycarbonate sheets.
(50) To eliminate haze and light distortion caused by inclusions or dust, a clean room coupled with an electric discharging device can be employed to manage the film handling, cutting and stacking to prevent contamination. Electrostatic charges on film surfaces not only attract dust and other contaminants but also make the film difficult to handle and may result in trapped air bubbles or cause film slippage. Thus, electrostatic charges on the film surface can significantly impact the optical properties of transparent film laminates. An automated film cutting setup as shown in
(51)
(52) When stacked, unidirectionally stretched films are cross plied, and the film dimension is squared, a robot can automatically align the non-cross plied film stack 412 into a cross plied film stack with the desired sheet number or thickness.
(53) When stacked, unidirectionally stretched films are cross plied, and the film dimension is non-squared, in one embodiment, more than one device 400 can be used in the film cutting process: one device 400 cuts films that have longer dimension in the machine direction (MD) and another device 400 cuts films that have shorter dimension along the MD. The robot can take the films from these two stacks alternatively to cross-ply the laminate. In another embodiment, only one device 400 is used, which can first cut a plurality of films that have longer dimension along the MD and place them aside; and then cut a plurality of films that have shorter dimension along the MD. A robot alternatively picks films from a long MD stack and a short MD stack to cross-ply the laminate with the desired sheet number or thickness.
(54) The cross plied film stack is placed between the compression molds and then positioned between the platens of a compression molding device, preferably in a clean room, and fusion bonded to form a bonded laminate. This process refinement further reduces haze, and bonded laminate clarity and transparency are further improved.
(55) Another processing refinement incorporates the discovery that, during the fusion bonding process, laminate cooling rates are much slower than the corresponding heating rates. Insufficient cooling of bonded laminates prior to removing from the compression molding machine results in shrunken, warped and distorted bonded laminates. Consequently the bonded laminates should not be removed from the compression molding machine until the bonded laminate temperature is cooled to below about 50° C., more preferably below about 38° C.
(56) Variations in bonded laminate properties at different locations on the laminate surface are attributable to non-uniformity of heating and cooling temperatures across the laminate surface during fusion bonding. Most compression molding machines use cartridge heaters to heat the platens and use a combination of air and/or water to cool the platens. The cartridge heater is low cost and easy to install, but fails to achieve temperature uniformity throughout the platens. Additionally, conventional compression molding machines often have an insufficient number of water lines to cool the platens, thus the cooling rate is slow.
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(58) To improve the heating and cooling rates and temperature uniformity, a compression mold with a plurality of cooling channels is fabricated to provide adequate heat exchanging capacity. The compression mold is connected to a temperature control unit (TCU), either using water or oil as the heat exchange fluid, depending on the processing temperature. Temperature control using a TCU is more accurate and much faster than platen temperature control, and the temperature uniformity will be much improved, thus the quality and performance of the bonded film laminates will be significantly better.
(59)
d1≥½d2
where d1 is the distance of a water line center to the mold surface and d2 is the distance to adjacent water line centers. The schematic illustration is shown in
(60) This equation provides guidance to water line design, but it also allows certain deviation. In some cases, the dimension of the compression mold does not allow the water line design to exactly comply with this equation. Therefore, d1 can be slightly less than ½ d2.
(61) In one embodiment (as shown in
(62) The purpose of the insulating plates 630 and 631 is to minimize the heat transfer between the compression mold and the platens. If the insulating plates were removed, the heating and cooling process would take considerably longer resulting in high haze and lower transmittance for transparent laminates.
(63) Another processing refinement incorporates polishing the surface of compression mold to a mirror finish. To further improve optical properties, the laminate surface quality and smoothness are critical, because a non-smooth surface will scatter the light causing higher haze. The laminate surface quality is largely affected by the compression mold surface quality; all the surface defects on the mold surface will imprint onto the laminate surface. Therefore, the compression mold surface should be well polished to eliminate surface defects such as roughness and irregularity. In one aspect of present invention, the mold surface is polished to a mirror finish. In one embodiment, the mold material is aluminum; in another embodiment, the mold material is steel or stainless steel. In one embodiment, the mold is polished by hand; in another embodiment, the mold is polished by a computer controlled machining process.
(64) The present invention laminates uni-directionally or bi-axially stretched core polymer film layers together, preferably unidirectionally stretched, where core polymer layers are used in which one or both core layer surfaces have been coated with a heat fusible polymer layer. The heat fusible layer polymers are selected so that lamination can occur at relatively low temperatures and the bonded laminate can retain a significant percentage of the mechanical properties of the stretched films, providing high quality transparent bonded laminates having excellent optical properties in transparent applications. The inventive process then fusion bonds the coated core polymer films together under heat and pressure to achieve good quality bonded laminates.
(65) The bonded laminates have a tensile strength at least about 20% higher than the tensile strength of a monolithic sheet of polycarbonate or the same core layer polymer (fabricated by extrusion of injection molding) of equivalent thickness as measured by ASTM D-638. In particular, the bonded laminates of the present invention have a tensile strength greater than about 10,000 psi as measured by ASTM D-638. The bonded laminates have an improvement in the V.sub.50 ballistic performance of at least about 10% in comparison to the V.sub.50 ballistic performance of a monolithic sheet of polycarbonate or the same core layer polymer of equivalent thickness. One preferred bonded laminate possesses at least about a 25% improvement in V.sub.50 ballistic performance compared to the V.sub.50 performance of a comparable impact resistant article of the same thickness. Other preferred bonded laminates possesses at least about a 25% improvement in V.sub.50 ballistic performance compared to the V.sub.50 performance of a comparable impact-resistant article of the same areal density.
(66) The fabricated transparent polymer laminates have relatively soft surfaces, so an application of a hard coating is required to protect the laminate surfaces from scratching and/or abrasion and/or wear. The laminate surfaces may need to be pre-treated to activate the surfaces to achieve good adhesive bonding with the hard coating resins. Preferably, the surface energy of the polymer laminate is about 10 dynes/cm greater than the surface tension of the coating solution, in order to ensure the coating solution wets the substrate surface, which is a prerequisite for achieving good adhesion. Good adhesion can also be affected by the functional groups on the laminate's surfaces and in the coating formulations.
(67) In one embodiment of the present invention, the laminates which have low surface energy polymer skin layers including polypropylene, polyethylene, and the like, require corona treatment or other surface activation treatment to oxidize the surface in order to generate functional groups and increase surface energy. In another embodiment of the present invention, the laminates which have high surface energy polymer skin layers, such as PC, PET, PETG, nylon, TPU, polyacrylate, EVA, EMA, and the like, might not require additional surface treatment before hard coating. However, the surface treatment can be still applied to these high surface energy polymers if required.
(68) Thermal curing and UV curing are the two typical curing methods for polymerization of hard coat resins, while E-Beam curing can also be used. The selection of curing mechanism can be determined by the softening point of the heat fusible layer in the transparent polymer laminate. UV curing is preferred for the heat fusible layer polymer that has a relatively low thermal deflection temperature as measured in accordance with ASTM D-648, which is lower than about 80° C., while thermal curing is preferred for the heat fusible layer polymer that has a thermal deflection temperature higher than about 80° C.
(69) The hard coating formulation comprises ingredients selected from the group consisting of resins, oligomers, monomers, initiators, solvents and additives. Not all the components are necessarily included in the hard coating formulation, but minimally the coating formulation should include initiator, solvent and at least one ingredient from the hard coat resin: either oligomer or monomer. These components in coating formulation should be chemically compatible with each other. Suitable oligomers include aliphatic urethane acrylates, aromatic urethane acrylate, acrylated acrylic, allylic, amine modified acrylate, chlorinated polyester acrylate, epoxy acrylates, epoxy methacrylate, fatty acid modified acrylate, melamine acrylate, polyester acrylate, silicone acrylate, urethane methacrylate, methyl silicone, methyl or phenyl silicone, alkoxy silicone, epoxy silicone, mercapto silicone, alicyclic epoxy silicone, and the like. The functionality of the oligomers is preferably from 2 to 10. The monomers include acrylic ester, acid ester, acidic acrylate, alkyl acrylate, and the like. The functionality of the monomers is preferred from 1 to 10. The initiators include benzophenone, benzoin ethers, benzyl ketals, α-dialkoxy acetophenone, α-hydroxy-alkyl-phenone, α-aminoalkylphenone, thioxanthones, titanocene, α-hydroxyketone, phenylglyoxylate, benzyldimethyl-ketal, α-aminoketone, bis hydroxyl alkyl acetophenone, acyl phosphine oxide, metallocene, iodonium salt, diacyl peroxide, dialkyl peroxide, hydroperoxide, monoperoxycarbonate, peroxydicarbonate, peroxyester, peroxyketal, ketone peroxide, and the like. The solvent selection is well known to those of ordinary skill in the coating formulation art.
(70) The hard coating formulation can be applied on the laminates via dip coating, spray coating, float coating, curtain coating, spin coating, blade coating, and the like. The coating process is well known to those of ordinary skill in the coating art. The curing time, radiation energy density (for UV curing) and temperature (for thermal curing) are optimized to obtain a crack-free and fully cured coating layer. The hard coated laminates can extend their service life compared to the non-coated ones. The haze increase of the hard coated laminates in present invention ideally should be less than 5%, or preferably less than 3%, or more preferably less than 1%, after 100 cycles of 500 gram Taber abrasion testing in accordance with ASTM D-1044, or 20 cycles of 2.5 lbf eraser testing in accordance with MIL-PRF-32432.
(71) Depending on the anticipated application of the transparent laminates, compression molds are designed and manufactured to fabricate the specific articles of transparent armor. Transparent laminates of the present invention can be fabricated as protective eyewear (spectacles and goggles) and face shields, windows and vision blocks for armored vehicles, ballistic shield windows, goggles, aircraft transparencies and sensor windows, infrared domes for missiles, and laser ignition windows for medium and large caliber cannons in military applications.
(72) Commercial applications include law enforcement vehicle windows, ballistic shields, including replacements for the ballistic shields currently employed in banks and other commercial enterprises, and executive protective armor.
(73) The bonded laminates of the present invention can be further laminated with other polymeric and/or non-polymeric sheets or plates to further enhance impact resistance for opaque armor applications, such as vehicle or aircraft armor, or ballistic shield applications, such as ballistic panels for portable shelters. Polymeric sheet materials include polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA), polycarbonates (PC), polyetherimides (PEI), polyethersulfones (PES), thermoplastic or thermosetting polymeric composites (such as glass or carbon fiber reinforced epoxy composites), and the like. Non-polymeric sheet materials include glass (both annealed and heat treated), ceramics and metal (such as high strength steel or aluminum), and the like.
(74) The present invention includes impact-resistant automotive parts formed from opaque or transparent laminates of the present invention, as well as impact-resistant industrial, structural, semi-structural or decorative panels or other articles formed from the opaque or transparent laminates of the present invention.
(75) One aspect of the invention is directed to a transparent fusion bonded polymeric film laminate consisting of core polymer film layers individually coated on at least one side with a heat fusible polymer layer, the core polymer film layers having melting or softening temperatures between about 100 and about 350° C., and the heat fusible polymer layers having melting or softening temperatures between about 65° C. to about 265° C., but which are at least 3° C. below the melting or softening temperature of the polymers of the core polymer film layers; where the core polymers are selected from the group consisting of polypropylene and polypropylene copolymers, and the heat fusible polymers are selected from the group consisting of polypropylene copolymers; or, the core polymers are selected from the group consisting of polyester polymers, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polyester copolymers, such as PET copolymers, and the heat fusible polymers are selected from the group consisting of polyester polymers, polyester copolymers, such as PET copolymers, amorphous polyesters, ethylene vinyl acetates (EVA), polymeric ionomers, ethylene-acrylic acid (EAA) copolymers, ethylene-methacrylic acid (EMA) copolymers, and polyurethanes; where the heat fusible polymer layers are thinner than the core polymer film layers, where the coated core polymer film layers are uniaxially oriented and stretched by 2× to 40×, to form stretched coated core polymer film layers having a thickness between about 5 and about 2,000 microns, where the stretched coated core polymer film layers are cross-plied or otherwise oriented to form the laminate; or at least 20% of the laminate is composed of cross-plied films that are continuously distributed in the laminate, or equally distributed in the laminate, or randomly distributed in the laminate; or the uniaxially stretched coated core polymer film layers are angle-plied to form the laminate; or at least 20% of the laminate is composed of angle-plied films that are continuously distributed in the laminate, or equally distributed in the laminate, or randomly distributed in the laminate; or the formed laminate is composed of at least two of the following components: cross-plied subunits, angle-plied subunits and arbitrarily oriented films; or the laminate is composed of subunits where at least 2 films have the same orientation, and these subunits are cross-plied; or at least 20% of the laminate is composed of cross-plied subunits that are continuously distributed in the laminate, or equally distributed in the laminate, or randomly distributed in the laminate; or the subunits are angle-plied to form the laminate; or at least 20% of the laminate is composed of angle-plied subunits that are continuously distributed in the laminate, or equally distributed in the laminate, or randomly distributed in the laminate; or the formed laminate is composed of at least of two of the following components: cross-plied subunits, angle-plied subunits, and arbitrarily oriented subunits, where the laminate is heat fused at a temperature at which the laminate remains transparent, where the laminate has a tensile strength greater than about 10,000 psi as measured by ASTM D-638, in at least one direction, where the laminate is hard coated, and where the laminate is transparent, and is between 0.20 and about 10 cm thick.
(76) In one embodiment the laminate consists of coated core polymer film layers of two or more different polymers. The layers of different coated core polymers can be alternating within the laminate, so that no two adjacent core polymer film layers consist of the same polymer. Alternatively the laminate can consist of a plurality of sub-laminates, where each sub-laminate consists of a plurality of coated core polymer film layers of the same polymer, and sub-laminates of different polymers alternate within the laminate so that no two adjacent sub-laminates consist of the same polymer. In one embodiment the laminate contain 64 to about 4000 coated core polymer film layers. In some embodiments of the laminate the melting point or softening temperature of the polymer of the heat fusible polymer layer is about 80° C. to about 200° C. Some embodiments of the laminate further contain nucleators or clarifiers, and optionally other functional additives.
(77) Another aspect of the invention is directed to an impact-resistant article consisting of the above laminate further laminated with one or more other polymeric or non-polymeric sheets bonded by one or more adhesive layers, where the polymeric sheets are selected from the group consisting of polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA), polyamide, polycarbonate (PC), polyetherimide (PEI), polyethersulfone (PES), thermoplastic polymeric composite and thermosetting polymeric composite sheets, and where the non-polymeric sheets are selected from the group consisting of annealed glass, heat treated glass, ceramic and metal sheets. In some embodiments the impact-resistant article is selected from an impact-resistant window, a ballistic-resistant window, vehicle body armor, an impact-resistant panel, a blast barrier, or a ballistic shield. In some embodiments the further laminated sheets are selected from the group consisting of annealed glass, heat treated glass, polymethylmethacrylate and polycarbonate sheets. Some aspects of the invention are directed to a transparent impact-resistant article formed from the above laminate, where the article can be an automotive part. In another embodiment the transparent impact-resistant article can be a polymeric laminate for ballistic protection, or is an explosive blast barrier. In some embodiments the article can be a vehicle body armor panel, a personnel armor system, or a ballistic shield. In other embodiments the transparent impact-resistant article is selected from the group consisting of protective eyewear, a face shield, a window for a combat or armored vehicle, a ballistic shield window, an aircraft transparency, a sensor window, an infrared dome for a missile, a laser ignition window for medium to large caliber cannons, a law enforcement vehicle window, and armor for executive protection.
(78) Another aspect of the invention is directed to a method of forming transparent bonded laminates comprising applying a heat fusible polymer layer onto at least one surface of a core polymer film layer by co-extrusion, post-extrusion or solution coating to form a surface coated core layer; laminating a plurality of the surface coated core layers so that adjoining core polymer film layers have at least one heat fusible polymer layer there-between; and fusion bonding with heat and pressure the surface coated core polymer layers at a temperature at which the laminate remains transparent so that molecular diffusion and/or polymer chain entanglement occurs at heat fusible polymer layer interfaces whereby the core polymer film layers or the heat fusible polymer layers are bonded together with heat fusible polymer layers from adjacent film layers to form a transparent bonded laminate, where the heat fusible polymer layers are thinner than the core polymer film layers, the melting or softening temperature of the heat fusible polymer is at least 3° C. lower than the melting or softening temperature of the polymers of the core polymer film layers, and the coated core polymer film layers are uniaxially oriented and stretched by 2× to 40×, to form stretched coated core polymer film layers having a thickness between about 5 and about 2,000 microns, which have a tensile strength greater than about 20,000 psi as measured by ASTM D-882 in the stretched direction, where the uniaxially stretched coated core polymer film layers are cross-plied to form the laminate; or at least 20% of the laminate is composed of cross-plied films that are continuously distributes in the laminate, or equally distributes in the laminate, or randomly distributed in the laminate; or the uniaxially stretched coated core polymer film layers are angle-plied to form the laminate; or at least 20% of the laminate is composed of angle-plied films that are continuously distributed in the laminate, or equally distributed in the laminate, or randomly distributed in the laminate; or the formed laminate is composed of at least of two of the following components: cross-plied subunits, angle-plied subunits and arbitrarily oriented films; where the core polymer film layers have melting or softening temperatures between about 100 and about 350° C., where the core polymers are selected from the group consisting of polypropylene and polypropylene copolymers, and the heat fusible polymers are selected from the group consisting of polypropylene copolymers; or, the core polymers are selected from the group consisting of polyester polymers, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polyester copolymers, such as PET copolymers, and the heat fusible polymers are selected from the group consisting of polyester polymers, polyester copolymers, such as PET copolymers, amorphous polyesters, ethylene vinyl acetates (EVA), polymeric ionomers, ethylene-acrylic acid (EAA) copolymers, ethylene-methacrylic acid (EMA) copolymers, and polyurethanes, where the laminate has a tensile strength greater than about 10,000 psi as measured by ASTM D-638, in at least one direction and where the laminate is transparent, and is between 0.20 and about 10 cm thick.
(79) In one embodiment of the method the heat fusible polymer layers are applied to both the top and bottom sides of each core polymer film layer by co-extrusion or post-extrusion. In another embodiment the surface coated core polymer film layers are uniaxially stretched following co-extrusion. In another embodiment of the method the heat fusible polymer layers are applied to each core polymer film layer by solution-coating at least one of the core polymer layers with a water-based or solvent-based solution of the polymer of the heat fusible polymer layer, or a precursor thereof. In some embodiments of the method the lamination pressure is between about 20 and about 5000 psi. In some embodiments of the method, the pressure is also maintained during the cooling cycle, between about 20 and about 5000 psi.
EXAMPLES
(80) Testing Protocols:
(81) Laminate Tensile Testing: Tensile test specimens were cut from the bonded laminate using a sharp-edged ASTM Type I die. The die was placed over the laminate and placed between the platens of a Wabash compression press under 755 psi of pressure to cut the laminate into ASTM Type I tensile test specimens. A Shimadzu AG-I universal test machine was used in conjunction with an Epsilon Extensometer (Model 3542-0100-100 LHT) to determine tensile properties of the bonded laminates in accordance with the ASTM D-638 method.
Film Tensile Testing: Per ASTM D-882, film samples were cut into 6″×1″ strips. A film strip was firmly clamped into the grips of a Shimadzu AG-I universal test machine. The initial grip separation was 4 inches and the testing rate of 2.0 in/min was applied. 40 in/min testing was added to the tensile testing to better evaluate the material response under high strain rate for understanding the material behavior under ballistic impact.
V.sub.50 FSP Test: The .22 caliber, 17 grains fragment simulating projectiles (FSP) were used, as specified in MIL-P-46593A. Thicker samples were tested using a .223 caliber center fired Thompson Contender rifle, while the ¼″ samples were tested using a .22 caliber rim fired Savage long rifle. The standard statistical V.sub.50 ballistic limit identifies the average velocity at which a bullet or a fragment penetrates 50% of the tested material versus non-penetration in the remaining 50% of the material tested as defined in MIL-STD-662F.
Material Properties:
Control Sample Properties—Polycarbonate
Tensile Strength of Monoclinic PC Sheets and Laminated PC Sheets
(82) It is well-known in the art that commercially available PC sheets have tensile strengths of less than 10,000 psi, as demonstrated below.
(83) Specimen Preparation and Testing Procedures
(84) Polycarbonate (PC) sheets were purchased from Makrolon. Both ⅛″ and 1/16″ PC tensile specimens were pressed out in the machine direction using a “dog-bone” tensile cutter in order to prepare ASTM Type II tensile specimens.
(85) The ⅛″ laminated sample was produced using the following procedure. Two 1/16″ sheets were laminated together using thermo-plastic polyurethane film (TPU; Huntsman PE399, 0.050″) as the adhesive. PC and TPU were cut into 12-inch squares and placed between two 12×12-inch plates for compression molding. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film was used as a release barrier between the panel and the molding plates. The compression press was heated to 235° F., and the assembled mold was placed in the compression press, making sure to center the panel on the platens. The mold was then pressed for 30 minutes at a pressure of 160 psi (11.5 Tons). Cooling was initiated after the dwell time had been achieved and the press was allowed to cool to 100° F. before the pressure was released and the mold removed. 12-inch by 12-inch panels were obtained using this method. The panels were then pressed using the “dog-bone” tensile cutter to prepare the tensile test specimens.
(86) Testing was conducted using an MTS Insight Universal Testing Machine (Table 1). The speed at which the samples were stretched was 2.0 inches/minute.
(87) Tensile Strength Test Results
(88) TABLE-US-00002 Average Real Tensile Strength Specimen Thickness (in) (psi) ⅛″ monoclinic PC 0.122 9100 1/16″ monoclinic PC 0.062 9400 ⅛″ laminated PC 0.165 7100
The tensile strength test results confirmed that both monoclinic PC sheets and the laminated PC sheet have a tensile strength of less than 10,000 psi.
Ballistic Performance of Monoclinic PC Sheets and Laminated PC Sheets
(89) Prior art laminated sheets were prepared according to the procedure disclosed in Molari (US RE 32,406), and ballistic testing was performed using 0.22 cal 17 grain FSP in accordance with the standard protocol outlined in MIL-STD-662, as disclosed in the tables below.
(90) Polycarbonate Specimen Preparation and Test Results
(91) Polycarbonate (PC) sheets were laminated together using thermo-plastic polyurethane film (TPU; Huntsman PE399, 0.050″) as the adhesive between layers. PC and TPU were cut into 12-inch squares and placed between two 12×12-inch plates for compression molding. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film was used as a release barrier between the panel and the molding plates. The compression press was heated to the desired temperature, and the mold was inserted into the press, making sure to center the panel on the platens. The mold was then pressed for the desired dwell time. Cooling was initiated after the appropriate dwell time had been achieved and the press was allowed to cool to 100° F. before the pressure was released and the mold removed. 12-inch by-12 inch panels were obtained using this method. The laminated PC panels were cut into nine 4×4-inch squares for ballistic testing. Monoclinic PC specimens for ballistic testing were cut directly from PC sheets of various nominal thicknesses.
(92) Characteristics and Test Results of Monoclinic PC Sheets
(93) TABLE-US-00003 Nominal Aerial Density V.sub.50 Thickness (in) (lb/ft.sup.2) (fps) ⅛ 0.74 730 ¼ 1.57 831 ⅜ 2.38 1148 ½ 3.18 1312
Characteristics and Test Results of Laminated PC Panels Made of ⅛″ PC Sheets
(94) TABLE-US-00004 # of Average Molding Nominal ⅛″ Real Aerial Molding Molding Dwell Thickness PC Thickness Density Temperature Pressure Time V.sub.50 (in) sheets (in) (lb/ft.sup.2) (° F.) (Tons) (min.) (fps) ⅛ 1 .117 0.74 N/A* N/A N/A 730 ¼ 2 .278 1.67 230 12.5 30 1055 ⅜ 3 .440 2.60 230 12.5 45 1365 ½ 4 .616 3.54 230 12.5 60 1546 *N/A = not available
Characteristics and Test Results of Laminated PC Panels Made of 1/16″ PC Sheets
(95) TABLE-US-00005 # of Average Molding Nominal 1/16″ Real Aerial Molding Molding Dwell Thickness PC Thickness Density Temperature Pressure Time V.sub.50 (in) sheets (in) (lb/ft.sup.2) (° F.) (Tons) (min.) (fps) ⅛ 2 .165 0.98 235 12.5 20 793 ¼ 4 .373 2.15 235 12.5 30 1187 ⅜ 6 .582 3.32 235 12.5 40 1511 ½ 8 .744 4.48 235 12.5 50 1777
Effects of Drawing Ratio on UOPP Film Tensile Properties
(96) TABLE-US-00006 Tensile Strength Elongation At Break Draw Ratio (ksi) (%) 5.0 40.9 30 5.5 43.7 25 6.0 57.6 25 7.0 57.7 22
(97) The examples shown above are unidirectionally oriented polypropylene (UOPP) films that have PP homopolymer core polymer layers with PP copolymer heat fusible layers and stretched at different draw ratios. 40 in/min strain rate was applied in the testing. The results indicate that the tensile strength of UOPP films increases as the draw ratio increases, which means the high draw ratio is beneficial for obtaining higher tensile strength. Meanwhile, the break strain of UOPP films decreases as the draw ratio increases.
(98) Effects of UOPP Film's Drawing Ratio on Tensile Properties of 0/90 Cross-Plied UOPP Laminate
(99) TABLE-US-00007 Tensile Strength Elongation At Break Draw Ratio (ksi) (%) 6.0 13.6 46 6.25 14.6 44 6.67 15.8 38 7.08 16.4 51
(100) The examples shown above are the UOPP films that have PP copolymer core polymer layers with PP copolymer heat fusible layers and stretched at different draw ratios. 20 sheets of 12″×12″ UOPP films were cross-plied and laminated at 270° F. and 500 psi for 15 minutes. The obtained laminates were cut by a sharp-edged ASTM Type I die into tensile specimens. The samples were tested at 2 in/min strain rate. From the results, the tensile strength of UOPP laminates increases with the film draw ratio. As shown in
(101) Effects of Drawing Ratio on UOPP Laminate Optical Properties
(102) 1) UOPP Homopolymer Films.
(103) TABLE-US-00008 Film Haze ¼″ Laminate Haze Draw Ratio (%) (%) 5.0 3.68 3.95 5.5 3.44 4.29 6.0 3.62 4.68 7.0 4.74 4.06
(104) The examples shown above are UOPP films that have PP homopolymer core polymer layers with PP copolymer heat fusible layers, and stretched at different draw ratios. The laminates were fabricated under 280° F. and 500 psi for 20 minutes. Generally, both the haze of UOPP homopolymer films and the laminates increased when draw ratio increased.
(105) 2) UOPP Copolymer Films.
(106) TABLE-US-00009 Film Haze ¼″ Laminate Haze Draw Ratio (%) (%) 6.00 3.19 3.59 6.25 3.98 3.21 7.08 3.81 3.06
(107) The examples shown above are UOPP films that have PP copolymer core polymer layers with PP copolymer heat fusible layers, and stretched at different draw ratios. The laminates were fabricated under 273° F. and 500 psi.
(108) Effects of Drawing Ratio on UOPP Laminate Ballistic Properties
(109) 1) UOPP Homopolymer Films
(110) TABLE-US-00010 ¼″ Laminate V.sub.50 Draw Ratio (ft/s) 5.0 1159 5.5 1192 6.0 1278 7.0 1336
(111) The examples shown above are UOPP films that have PP homopolymer core polymer layers with PP copolymer heat fusible layers. The UOPP films were cross-plied prior to lamination. The laminates were fabricated under 280° F. and 500 psi for 20 minutes. The ballistic testing was conducted using .22 caliber 17 grains Fragment Simulated Projectiles (FSP). The ballistic V.sub.50 of ¼″ UOPP homopolymer laminates linearly increased with film draw ratio, as shown in
(112) 2) UOPP Copolymer Films.
(113) TABLE-US-00011 ¼″ Laminate V.sub.50 Draw Ratio (ft/s) 6.00 1237 6.25 1247 7.08 1294
(114) The examples shown above are UOPP films that have PP copolymer core polymer layers with PP copolymer heat fusible layers. The UOPP films were cross-plied prior to lamination. The laminates were fabricated under 273° F. and 500 psi for 20 minutes. The ballistic V.sub.50 of ¼″ UOPP copolymer laminates linearly increased with film draw ratio.
(115) Effects of Drawing Technique of PP Film—Biaxial Vs. Uniaxial Orientation
(116) TABLE-US-00012 Nominal Areal Thickness Density V.sub.50 Entry Sample (in) (lb/ft.sup.2) (ft/s) 1 UOPP Laminate (0/90 Cross Plied) 0.500 2.38 1,980 (Uniaxially Oriented PP) 2 BOPP Laminate (0/90 Cross Plied) 0.500 2.35 1,485 (Biaxially Oriented PP) 3 PP Laminate (four ⅛″ injection 0.500 N/A* 868 molded PP disks) 4 Cast PMMA Sheet 0.500 2.93 1,188 5 Extruded PC Sheet 0.500 3.12 1,312 *N/A = not available
(117) As shown in the table above, orientation of the polymer films increased the ballistic performance of the laminates, and uniaxial orientation was much more effective in improving the ballistic performance versus biaxial orientation. Both of UOPP and BOPP films were cross-plied prior to lamination. The ½″ thick unstretched PP showed a very low ballistic performance. By stretching biaxially, the ballistic performance of PP dramatically increased from 868 ft/s to 1,485 ft/s. Moreover, by stretching only uniaxially, the ballistic performance of the UOPP laminate further improved to 1,980 ft/s. Based on ballistic energy considerations, the ballistic performance of the BOPP laminate was 293% that of unstretched PP, while the ballistic performance of the UOPP laminate was 78% higher than that of the BOPP laminate.
(118) More importantly, the UOPP laminate showed considerably higher ballistic V.sub.50 than the current commercial transparent armor materials, PC and PMMA. The V.sub.50 of UOPP laminate was 51% higher than PC, and 67% higher than PMMA, at ½″ thickness.
(119) Effect of Polymer—Biaxial Vs. Uniaxial Stretching and Orientation
(120) TABLE-US-00013 Nominal Thickness Entry Sample (inch) V.sub.50 (ft/s) 1 BOPET Laminate, 0/90 Cross-Plied 0.250 1,025 (Biaxially Oriented PET) 2 UOPE Laminate, 0/90 Cross Plied 0.250 1,028 (Uniaxially Oriented PE) 3 UOPP Laminate, 0/90 Cross-Plied 0.250 1,320 (Uniaxially Oriented PP) 4 BOPP Laminate, 0/90 Cross-Plied 0.250 980 (Biaxially Oriented PP) 5 Extruded PC Sheet 0.250 831
(121) As shown above, the effect of biaxial or uniaxial orientation on the ballistic performance enhancement of polymer laminates can also be seen not only for PP but also for a variety of other polymers, including polyethylene (PE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). All of BOPET, UOPE, UOPP and BOPP films were cross-plied prior to lamination. Stretched and oriented PE, PET and PP laminates, regardless of whether they were unidirectionally or biaxially drawn, showed improved ballistic resistance versus an extruded PC sheet which was produced without stretching. The data also further demonstrated that unidirectional drawing is more effective in enhancing the ballistic performance than biaxial drawing.
(122) Effect of Lamination Orientation—Cross-Ply Vs. Non Cross-Ply Vs. Angle-Ply
(123) Below is an example comparing ballistic resistance of 0/90 ply and 0 ply UOPP laminates, using a typical testing process to obtain V.sub.50 for specific samples.
(124) TABLE-US-00014 Cross-plied Aligned (0/90 degree orientation) (0 degree orientation) V.sub.50 (ft/s) 1268 <706 Energy @ V.sub.50 (J) 82 <26
(125) Cross-plied UOPP laminates, where the stretched coated PP core polymer film layers coated with a PP copolymer heat fusible polymer layer are oriented at 90 degrees to one another in adjacent layers with respect to their stretching direction, were prepared as described above. For comparison, UOPP laminates were also prepared according to the prior art, where the stretched coated core polymer film layers were aligned with respect to their stretching direction (0 degree orientation in adjacent layers).
(126) The ¼″ 0/90 ply laminates showed a V.sub.50 of 1268 ft/s with an energy at V.sub.50 of 82 Joules, while the ¼″ 0 ply laminates (prior art laminate) had a V.sub.50 value lower than 706 ft/s with an energy at V.sub.50 of <26 Joules. This indicates that the 0/90 ply laminate of the present invention can absorb more than 215% higher ballistic energy versus the 0 ply laminate available using the prior art method. Thus, the presently disclosed cross-plied laminates are distinct from those obtainable from the prior art in being cross-plied, transparent and having the physical properties required for the intended use of the laminates, e.g., impact resistant eyewear, impact resistant face shields, impact resistant windows, impact resistant windshields, etc. The prior art teaches a method of producing laminates that have low ballistic impact resistance, so that those laminates cannot be used in ballistic resistance applications such as ballistic shields. The presently disclosed laminates provide a solution to the efficient fabrication of transparent, high impact resistance laminates that exhibit more than 215% higher ballistic energy absorption over those disclosed in the prior art.
(127) Below is another example showing the film anisotropy effect in BOPP and UOPP laminates.
(128) TABLE-US-00015 V.sub.50 at 0 ply laminate V.sub.50 at 0/90 ply laminate ½″ UOPP Laminate 1126 ft/s 1980 ft/s ½″ BOPP Laminate 1385 ft/s 1485 ft/s
(129) As shown in the table above, different lamination orientations can significantly affect UOPP laminate ballistics, while BOPP laminates are not sensitive to lamination anisotropy because BOPP films are stretched in both the machine direction (MD) and transverse direction (TD). The UOPP laminate showed an obvious advantage over the BOPP laminate in that it has 33% higher V.sub.50, which means that the UOPP laminate can absorb 78% more kinetic energy than the corresponding BOPP laminate under a ballistic event. UOPP laminates showed a significant difference in ballistic V.sub.50 at different lamination anisotropy. The ballistic V.sub.50 of 0 ply UOPP ½″ laminate was 43% lower than cross-plied UOPP laminates. This result suggests that both BOPP and UOPP films are more preferred to be cross-plied in order to obtain high impact/ballistic resistance.
(130) Below is another example showing the difference of cross-ply and angle-ply in UOPP laminates.
(131) TABLE-US-00016 Thickness Areal Density V.sub.50 Film Orientation (in) (lb/ft.sup.2) (ft/s) 0 0.500 2.32 1,126 0/45/90/−45/0 0.499 2.34 1,950 0/90 0.508 2.38 1,980
(132) Both cross-plied and angle-plied laminates showed significantly higher V.sub.50 versus the 0 ply laminate, while the cross-plied laminate had slightly higher V.sub.50 than the 0/45/90/−45/0 configuration. Even in this angled configuration of 0/45/90/−45/0, the films at 45 degrees and −45 degrees are still cross-plied, therefore, the ballistic V.sub.50 of the 0/45/90/−45/0 laminate doesn't decrease too much versus cross-plied laminates. In all the film orientations, the cross-plied laminates (0/90) showed the highest ballistic resistance.
(133) Lamination Pressure Effect on Optical Properties of UOPP and BOPP Laminates
(134) TABLE-US-00017 Lamination Pressure Haze Transmittance Clarity (psi) (%) (%) (%) 20 70.3 59 30.1 50 34.3 81.7 72.8 100 8.07 91.6 93.1 200 7.07 91.8 94.3 1000 5.48 91.9 94. 1
(135) In the prior art lamination process, only low pressure is applied to the UOPP films. The results above demonstrate that the optical properties of UOPP laminates are considerably affected by lamination pressure. The UOPP film in this example consists of polypropylene homopolymer core layers and polypropylene copolymer heat sealable layers. The UOPP films were cross-plied prior to lamination. The lamination temperature was 280° F. Lamination pressure from 20 to 1000 psi was applied during the lamination, as shown in the table above. The haze value of the ¼″ laminates significantly dropped when the pressure increased from 20 to 200 psi. Then the haze value slowly decreased after 200 psi. Transmittance and clarity demonstrate the reverse numerical trend versus haze. Therefore, in order to obtain transparent laminates, the lamination pressure should be maintained at least at 200 psi.
(136) Below is an example of ¼″ BOPP laminates fabricated at different lamination pressures.
(137) TABLE-US-00018 Lamination Haze Transmittance Clarity Pressure (psi) (%) (%) (%) 20 9.99 79.6 97.1 50 5.41 78.9 98.0 100 5.23 78.5 98.1 200 4.3 79.2 98.1 1000 4.0 79.4 98.4
(138) BOPP films in this example have homopolymer core polymer layer coated with EVA heat fusible layer. The BOPP laminates were fabricated at 280° F. for 20 minutes. The BOPP films were cross-plied prior to lamination. The results in the table above exhibit the similar trend as for UOPP laminates. Higher lamination pressure was beneficial for the optical properties of BOPP laminates, and at least 200 psi lamination pressure was preferable to achieve low haze. Compared to UOPP laminates, the lamination pressure showed less effect on the optical properties of BOPP laminates.
(139) Lamination Pressure Effect on Ballistic Properties of UOPP and BOPP Laminates
(140) TABLE-US-00019 Lamination Pressure V.sub.50 of ¼″ UOPP V.sub.50 of ¼″ BOPP (psi) Laminates (ft/s) Laminates (ft/s) 20 1201 938 50 1212 968 100 1205 1005 200 1239 1006 1000 1219 <907
(141) BOPP films in this example have homopolymer core polymer layers coated with EVA heat fusible layer, while UOPP films have homopolymer core polymer layers coated with the same copolymer heat fusible layer. Both were cross-plied and laminated at 280° F. From 20 to 200 psi lamination pressure range, the ballistic V.sub.50 of both BOPP and UOPP ¼″ laminates slightly increased when lamination pressure increased.
(142) Cooling Pressure Effect on Optical and Ballistic Properties of UOPP Laminates
(143) TABLE-US-00020 Cooling Pressure Haze Transmittance Clarity Ballistic (psi) (%) (%) (%) V.sub.50 (ft/s) ~0 11.9 91.6 88.4 1325 20 11.5 92.4 89.0 1320 50 7.95 91.9 90.5 1331 100 7.38 92.4 92.5 1327 200 4.91 92.8 93.1 1322 500 4.44 92.9 93.4 1315
(144) In the prior art method, no pressure or low pressure is applied to the laminates during the cooling cycle. The results shown above demonstrate that low cooling pressure can cause unacceptably high haze in the resultant laminates. In this example, UOPP films have homopolymer core polymer layers coated with copolymer heat fusible layers. The UOPP films were cross-plied prior to lamination. The lamination temperature was maintained at 280° F., and 500 psi of static pressure was applied during the lamination. Once the cooling cycle started, the pressure was reduced to 0, 20, 50, 100, 200 or 500 psi, respectively. The haze of ¼″ UOPP laminates exponentially decreased when cooling pressure increased, while transmittance and clarity increased when cooling pressure increased. This example demonstrates the importance of cooling pressure on the optical properties of UOPP laminates. However, the ballistic V.sub.50 properties of ¼″ UOPP laminates was not affected by the cooling pressure.
(145) Ballistic Comparison of Inventive UOPP Laminates with and without Hard Coating
(146) The hard coated ¼″ PC, amorphous nylon and TPU plates showed brittle failure upon ballistic impact, although they can demonstrate ductile failure at low velocity impact. This phenomenon is well known.
(147) Compared to these commercial monoclinic transparent materials, a very hard coating can be applied onto the inventive UOPP laminates without causing brittle failure under ballistic impact. The results shown in the table below demonstrate that the ballistic V.sub.50 of hard coated UOPP laminates almost retained the same value as the uncoated ones. Two groups of samples were encompassed: one group was composed of UOPP films that have PP homopolymer core polymer layers coated with PP copolymer heat fusible layers; another group was composed of UOPP films that have PP copolymer core polymer layers coated with PP copolymer heat fusible layers.
(148) TABLE-US-00021 Nominal V.sub.50 Laminate Thickness (in) Hardcoated V.sub.50 (ft/s) Reduced UOPP Laminate, 0.25 No 1350 Homopolymer UOPP Laminate, 0.25 Yes 1287 4.7% Homopolymer UOPP Laminate, 0.25 No 1178 Copolymer UOPP Laminate, 0.25 Yes 1137 3.5% Copolymer
Ballistic Comparison of Inventive UOPP Laminates with Commercial Transparent Armor Sheets
(149) The ballistic V.sub.50 of UOPP laminates and the commercially available transparent armor materials were compared at various thicknesses in order to demonstrate the ballistic advantage of UOPP laminates at all thicknesses. The commercial examples included PC, PMMA and PC/PMMA laminate.
(150) As shown in
(151) The forgoing demonstrates the improvements in impact resistance and ballistic performance obtained by the laminates of the present invention versus the prior art laminates.
(152) The description of the preferred embodiments presented herein should be taken as illustrating, rather than limiting, aspects of the present invention being defined by the claims. As will be readily appreciated, numerous combinations of the features set forth above can be utilized without departing from the present invention as set forth in the claims. Such variations are not regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.