Effect of particle size of fumed silica on the puncture resistance of fabrics impregnated with shear thickening fluid

This paper presents an investigation into the effect of particle size of fumed silica on the puncture resistance of fabric impregnated with shear thickening fluid (STF). Two different types of STF were fabricated from fumed silica nanoparticles with particle sizes of 12 and 40 nm respectively. The effects of the particle size and weight fraction of the fumed silica on the rheological property were studied. STFs impregnated woven fabrics were fabricated and tested for stabbing resistance. STFs made of fumed silica with large particle size have better shear thickening effect. The stabbing resistant performance of STF impregnated fabrics improved notably with the same number of layers of fabric, and STFs impregnated fabric panels also outperform the untreated fabric panels with the same areal density. The results indicated that STFs made of fumed silica with larger particle size is able to fabricate a lighter soft body armor with higher stabbing protection.