MMOD Puncture Resistance of EVA Suits with Shear Thickening Fluid (STF) – Armortm Absorber Layers

Absorber layers comprised of shear thickening fluid (STF) intercalated Kevlar® (STF-ArmorTM) are integrated within the standard extra-vehicular activity (EVA) suit and tested for efficacy against both needle puncture and hypervelocity impact (HVI) tests characteristic of micrometeoroids and orbital debris (MMOD). An improvement in puncture resistance against hypodermic needle threats is achieved by substituting STF-ArmorTM in place of neoprene-coated nylon as the absorber layer in the standard EVA suit. The prototype lay-ups containing STF-ArmorTM have the benefit of being 17% thinner and 13% lighter than the standard EVA suit and the ballistic limit is identified in HVI testing. The results here demonstrate that EVA suit lay-ups containing STF-ArmorTM as absorber layers offer meaningful resistance to MMOD threats.