In terms of national defense munitions, because of its good impact resistance and large energy absorption capacity, fiber can be made into protective clothing, helmets and bulletproof materials in the military, such as armored protective plates for helicopters, tanks and ships, protective shells for radars, missile covers, body armor, stab-resistant clothing, shields and parachutes, among which the application of body armor is the most eye-catching. It has the advantages of softness and better bulletproof effect than aramid fiber, and has now become the main fiber occupying the American bulletproof vest market. In addition, the specific impact load U/p of UHMWPE fiber composites is 10 times that of steel, and more than twice that of glass fiber and aramid fiber. Bullet-proof and riot-proof helmets made of this fiber-reinforced resin composite material abroad have become substitutes for steel helmets and aramid fiber-reinforced composite helmets.
In aerospace engineering, fiber composites are suitable for wing tip structures, spacecraft structures and buoy aircraft because of their light weight, high strength and good impact resistance. The fiber can also be used as a deceleration parachute for space shuttle landing and a rope for hanging heavy objects on the plane, replacing the traditional steel wire rope and synthetic fiber rope, and it develops very fast.
In the civil field, ropes, cables, sails and fishing gear made of this fiber are suitable for marine engineering, and the breaking length under self-weight is 8 times that of steel wire rope and 2 times that of aramid fiber. This rope is used as mooring anchor rope for supertankers, offshore platforms and lighthouses. It solves the problem that the cable strength is reduced and broken due to the corrosion of steel cable, the corrosion, hydrolysis and ultraviolet degradation of nylon and polyester cable, and it needs to be replaced frequently.
In industrial applications, the fiber and its composites can be used as pressure-resistant containers, conveyor belts, filter materials, automobile bumper plates and so on. In architecture, it can be used as a wall and partition structure. The toughness and impact resistance of cement can be improved by using it as a reinforced cement composite material. Because of its excellent wear resistance and impact resistance, UHMWPE is widely used in machinery manufacturing, which can be used to manufacture various mechanical parts, such as gears, cams, impellers, rollers, pulleys, bearings, bushings, shafts, gaskets, washers, elastic couplings, screws and so on.
In sports goods, it has been made into safety helmet, snowboard, sail wheel plate, fishing rod, racket and bicycle, gliding board, ultra-light aircraft parts, etc., and its performance is better than traditional materials. The UHMWPE skating rink manufactured by Mitsui Petrochemical Company of Japan was opened to the public in Kagoshima Prefecture in 1975, and its cost was14 of that of ordinary skating rinks.
In medicine, fiber reinforced composites are used in denture materials, medical implants, plastic sutures and other fields. It has good biocompatibility, durability, high stability and no allergic reaction, and has been used in clinic. It is also used in medical gloves and other medical measures.