| Abstract Scope |
Natural fibers have been investigated as composites reinforcement for technological applications. Several natural fiber composites were found to present similar ballistic performance as synthetic materials, such as Kevlar® and Dyneema® in multilayered systems (MASs) against high impact energy projectiles. MASs with a front ceramic followed by natural fibers, such as curaua, jute, sisal, ramie, coir, piassava, fique and sugarcane bagasse reinforcing polymer matrix composites attend the standards for personal ballistic protection against the threat of 7.62mm ammunition. These natural fiber composites, as second MAS layer, succeed to capture the cloud of fragments resulting from the projectile impact on the ceramic layer with comparable ballistic efficiency as conventional materials with same thickness. In this work, the development of research dedicated to natural fiber composites in MASs are reviewed and their advantages over synthetic materials are emphasized, especially the much lower cost. Current applications in armor vests for defense forces are revealed. |