Quickly changeable material for military camouflage

Abstract

The invention discloses a quick-changing material for military camouflage. The quick-changing material comprises a base layer, a middle layer and an outermost layer which are sequentially arranged from inside to outside. The base layer is a green layer formed by polyester fibers; the middle layer is a strippable coating layer capable of changing color when encountering water; the outermost layer is a permeable material layer made of polyvinyl alcohol; and the middle layer is coated on the outermost layer. The intermediate layer coating in the scheme shows a specially-modulated yellow color in a dry state, and is highly matched with the hue of a desert environment. When the discoloring coating is in contact with water, water molecules penetrate through the surface permeable material to be in contact with the discoloring coating, the molecular structure of the discoloring coating rapidly changes into ocean blue, and disguise conversion can be rapidly achieved when the armor or the battle suit enters the ocean environment from the desert environment or enters the desert environment from the ocean environment.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of military equipment, more particularly, to a quick-change material for military camouflage. BACKGROUND

[0002] In modern military operations, especially in the special scenario of amphibious operations, the rapid response capability of camouflage technology is crucial to the effectiveness of operations. However, the existing camouflage materials and technologies still have some shortcomings in practical application.

[0003] The color-changing response speed of traditional camouflage materials is slow, making it difficult to adapt to the rapid changes in the environment in a short time. For example, when combat personnel and equipment need to quickly transfer from a dry desert area to a humid marine environment, existing materials cannot quickly complete the conversion of color and appearance, thereby increasing the risk of being detected and attacked by the enemy. In addition, existing materials perform poorly in terms of color fidelity and stability, and are prone to fading and distortion in long-term use or complex environments, making it difficult to maintain a high degree of match with the actual environment, resulting in unsatisfactory camouflage effects.

[0004] In addition, the durability and environmental adaptability of existing materials are also insufficient, and they are difficult to withstand the wear and tear caused by harsh natural conditions and frequent use. This not only shortens the service life of the materials, but also increases the cost of maintenance and logistics support. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a camouflage material that can quickly change color, has high color stability, and is durable, to meet the needs of modern military operations. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application aims to provide a quick-change material for military camouflage to solve the technical problems existing in the background art.

[0006] The present application provides a quick-change material for military camouflage, which comprises a base layer, an intermediate layer and an outermost layer arranged in order from inside to outside.

[0007] The base layer is a green layer composed of polyester fibers; the intermediate layer is a peelable water-reactive color-changing paint layer, which presents a yellow color matching the color tone of the desert environment in a dry state, and turns into a marine blue color when in contact with water; the outermost layer is a water-permeable material layer made of polyvinyl alcohol; and the intermediate layer is coated on the outermost layer.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment, the preparation steps of the intermediate layer are as follows:

[0009] S1, preparation of polyester-based material: polyester powder is added to an organic solvent, stirred to fully dissolve, forming a polyester solution; an amino-containing compound is added to the polyester solution, and the reaction conditions such as temperature and reaction time are controlled to promote the reaction of the functional groups with the polyester and introduce amino functional groups; the reaction mixture is filtered to remove impurities, and then the filtrate is dried to obtain a polyester-based material containing amino functional groups;

[0010] S2, toning: yellow pigment is added to an appropriate amount of organic solvent, stirred to dissolve, forming a yellow pigment solution; isocyanate is gradually added to the yellow pigment solution to form the precursor of the color-changing reaction;

[0011] S3, mixing the polyester-based material with the precursor and adding a catalyst to accelerate the reaction speed to obtain the color-changing coating layer of the intermediate layer.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment, the step of coating the outermost layer with the intermediate layer is as follows:

[0013] A1, toning the color-changing coating, mixing the color-changing coating with an appropriate amount of solvent to adjust the concentration and viscosity, ensuring the uniformity and stability of the coating;

[0014] A2, coating operation, using a precision coater to uniformly coat the color-changing coating on the PVA water-permeable material, controlling the coating thickness to be 0.1 mm;

[0015] A3, drying and curing: the coated material is placed in a UV curing machine for drying and curing, so that the coating is completely dried and a stable color-changing layer is formed.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment, the organic solvent in S1 includes at least one of acetone and chloroform, and the amino-containing compound in S1 includes ethylenediamine; the organic solvent in S2 includes at least one of methanol and ethanol.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment, the preparation of the base layer is as follows:

[0018] B1, preparing the dye bath: selecting a green dye that is resistant to seawater corrosion and has high color stability, mixing the green dye with a dyeing aid to form a dye bath with a concentration of 5%;

[0019] B2, treating polyester fibers: pretreating the polyester fibers, including cleaning and degreasing, using ethanol for cleaning, and then air drying.

[0020] B3, dyeing: soaking the treated polyester fibers in a 5% green dye dye bath, controlling the temperature at 80°C and the time for 60 minutes, and continuously stirring to ensure uniform penetration of the dye.

[0021] B4, curing: the dyed polyester fiber is cured at high temperature of 120°C for 2 hours to obtain the base material.

[0022] In a preferred embodiment, the green dye comprises 2-[(4-aminophenyl) ethylene]-1, 3, 3-trimethyl-8-oxa cyclo [3.2.1] octan-5-one.

[0023] The beneficial effects of the technical solution of the application are:

[0024] The intermediate layer paint presents a special modulated yellow color in dry state, which is highly matched with the color tone of desert environment. When contacting water, water molecules contact the color-changing paint through the water-permeable material of the surface layer, and the molecular structure of the color-changing paint changes rapidly to become marine type blue, which can quickly realize camouflage conversion of the armor or combat uniform when entering the marine environment from the desert environment or entering the desert environment from the marine environment.

[0025] The base layer is made of polyester fiber material, which has excellent properties such as high strength, wear resistance, corrosion resistance, etc., can maintain bright green color for a long time, and can still maintain the stability of the color in harsh environments such as seawater. By peeling off the water color-changing paint, it can be quickly converted into a forest type camouflage, which shows a green tone and matches the forest environment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The embodiments of the present application are given below for further detailed description, which are given for the convenience of example and description, and are not exhaustive or limit the present application to the disclosed forms. Many modifications and changes will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. The embodiments are selected and described in order to better illustrate the principles and practical application of the present application, and to enable those of ordinary skill in the art to understand the present application so as to design various embodiments with various modifications suitable for specific purposes.

[0027] The technical solution of the present application provides a quick camouflage material for military camouflage, which comprises a base layer, an intermediate layer and an outermost layer arranged from inside to outside in sequence.

[0028] The base layer is a green layer composed of polyester fiber; the intermediate layer is a peelable water color-changing paint layer, which presents a yellow color matching the color tone of desert environment in dry state, and changes to marine type blue when contacting water; the outermost layer is a water-permeable material layer made of polyvinyl alcohol; the intermediate layer is coated on the outermost layer.

[0029] The preparation steps of the intermediate layer are as follows:

[0030] S1, preparation of polyester-based material: polyester powder is added to an organic solvent, stirred to fully dissolve, forming a polyester solution; an amino-containing compound is added to the polyester solution, and the reaction conditions such as temperature and reaction time are controlled to promote the reaction of the functional groups with the polyester and introduce amino functional groups; the reaction mixture is filtered to remove impurities, and then the filtrate is dried to obtain a polyester-based material containing amino functional groups;

[0031] S2, toning: yellow pigment is added to an appropriate amount of organic solvent, stirred and dissolved to form a yellow pigment solution; isocyanate is gradually added to the yellow pigment solution to form the precursor of the color-changing reaction;

[0032] S3, mixing the polyester-based material with the precursor and adding a catalyst to accelerate the reaction speed to obtain the color-changing coating layer of the intermediate layer.

[0033] The step of coating the intermediate layer on the outermost layer is as follows:

[0034] A1, toning the color-changing coating, mixing the color-changing coating with an appropriate amount of solvent to adjust the concentration and viscosity, ensuring the uniformity and stability of the coating;

[0035] A2, coating operation, using a precision coater to uniformly coat the color-changing coating on the PVA water-permeable material, controlling the coating thickness to be 0.1 mm;

[0036] A3, drying and curing: the coated material is placed in a UV curing machine for drying and curing, so that the coating is completely dried and a stable color-changing layer is formed.

[0037] In a preferred embodiment, the organic solvent in S1 includes at least one of acetone and chloroform, and the amino-containing compound in S1 includes ethylenediamine; the organic solvent in S2 includes at least one of methanol and ethanol.

[0038] The preparation steps of the base layer are as follows:

[0039] B1, preparing the dye bath: selecting a green dye that is resistant to seawater corrosion and has high color stability, mixing the green dye with a dyeing aid to form a dye bath with a concentration of 5%; the green dye includes 2-[(4-aminophenyl) ethylene]-1,3,3-trimethyl-8-oxa-cyclo[3.2.1] octan-5-one);

[0040] B2, treating polyester fibers: pretreating the polyester fibers, including cleaning and degreasing, cleaning with ethanol, and then air drying.

[0041] B3, dyeing: soaking the treated polyester fibers in a 5% green dye dye bath, controlling the temperature at 80°C and the time for 60 minutes, and continuously stirring to ensure uniform penetration of the dye.

[0042] B4, Curing: The dyed polyester fibers were cured at high temperature of 120°C for 2 hours to obtain the base material.

[0043] Example 1

[0044] 1. Outermost layer preparation

[0045] (1) Material selection and preparation

[0046] Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) granules, molecular weight: 10,000 g / mol, purity: ≥ 99%, amount: 50 grams (± 0.1 grams), deionized water, conductivity: < 0.1 µS / cm, temperature: preheated to 80°C (± 1°C), amount: 500 milliliters (± 1 milliliter)

[0047] (2) PVA dissolving process

[0048] Equipment: Heat-resistant glass beaker (1000 milliliters capacity), magnetic stirrer (with heating function); Operating steps: Place the beaker on the magnetic stirrer, heat to 80°C, slowly add 50 grams of PVA granules, use a stirrer (length 40 millimeters) to stir, set the stirring speed to 300 rpm, stir for 2 hours, use a glass rod to check the uniformity of the solution, ensure complete dissolution and no particle residue.

[0049] (3) Casting

[0050] Equipment: Casting machine (model ABC-123), 20cm x 20cm glass plate; Operating steps: Place the glass plate horizontally on the casting machine workbench, set the casting speed to 0.5 meters / minute, control the film thickness to 0.2 millimeters, uniformly coat the PVA solution, use a doctor blade to adjust the thickness, ensure uniformity.

[0051] (4) Drying conditions

[0052] Equipment: Vacuum oven (model XYZ-456); Operating steps: Set the oven temperature to 60°C, place the glass plate together with the coated film in the oven, vacuum to 0.1 MPa, dry for 2 hours, check the film surface state every 30 minutes during the process.

[0053] 2. Middle layer treatment

[0054] (1) Base material preparation

[0055] Material: Polyester powder, 100 grams, modification reagent: ethylenediamine (10 grams), used to introduce amino groups; Operating steps: Mix the polyester powder and ethylenediamine in a reaction kettle. Heat to 150°C, stir for 3 hours, after cooling, obtain the polyester base material containing amino functional groups.

[0056] (2) Color matching and coating

[0057] Materials: Yellow pigment (5 grams, particle size 5 microns), catalyst (1 gram) Precision coater, Operation steps: Mix the pigment and catalyst uniformly, use the coater to evenly coat the mixture on the PVA film, thickness is 0.1 millimeter.

[0058] (3) Curing

[0059] Equipment: UV curing machine (wavelength 365 nm, model GHI-012), Operation steps: Set the UV light intensity to 10 mW / cm², irradiate for 10 minutes, ensure the adhesion and stability of the coating.

[0060] 3. Base layer preparation

[0061] (1) Dyeing process

[0062] Materials: 2-[(4-aminophenyl) ethylene]-1,3,3-trimethyl-8-oxa-cyclo[3.2.1] octan-5-one dye (50 grams, particle size 10 microns), Equipment: High-pressure dyeing kettle; Operation steps: Place polyester fibers (20 yarns) in the dyeing kettle, add dye solution with a concentration of 5%, dye at 80°C and 2 MPa for 60 minutes, and then cure the dyed polyester fibers at 120°C for 2 hours to obtain the base material.

[0063] (2) Weaving technology

[0064] Equipment: Industrial loom (model JKL-345), Operation steps: Load the dyed polyester fibers (20 yarns) into the loom creel, ensure even tension of the yarns, pass the warp yarns through the warp comb and guide. Set the weaving parameters on the control panel, set the tension to 2N, and select a plain weave structure to ensure the strength and uniformity of the fabric.

[0065] Start the loom and gradually accelerate to 200 revolutions per minute, ensuring that the yarns do not break or entangle. When the desired length is reached, stop the loom and carefully remove the woven fabric. Finishing and coating: coat the surface of the fabric with polyurethane, which has good wear resistance and tear resistance, and can be used as a coating material to enhance the wear resistance and tear resistance of the polyester fibers.

[0066] The camouflage material of this scheme can be cut and sewn according to specific needs to make camouflage covers suitable for different equipment and combat environments. In practical application, the following steps can be taken:

[0067] 1. Cutting and sewing according to needs: according to the size and shape of the equipment or combat personnel, cut the multifunctional quick camouflage material, and make it into a cover through sewing process.

[0068] 2. Application to equipment surface: Cut the cover to the size of the equipment surface and apply it to ensure a tight fit.

[0069] 3. Change camouflage effect: When the equipment or combat personnel need to camouflage in different environments, simply peel off the cover on the surface of the equipment or combat uniform, and cover it with a cover suitable for the new environment to achieve quick camouflage effect.

[0070] 4.1 Cutting operation steps

[0071] • Measure and mark: Use a flexible ruler or tape measure to accurately measure the size of the required coverage area, including length, width, and edges of special shapes such as curves or corners. Mark the cutting line on the material with a washable marker, ensuring a certain margin (usually 1-2 cm) for subsequent sewing and adjustment.

[0072] • Choose tools: Choose appropriate cutting tools according to the thickness and hardness of the material, such as sharp scissors, paper cutter or professional cloth cutting machine. For hard or multi-layer composite materials, electric cutting tools may be needed to improve accuracy and efficiency.

[0073] • Cutting execution: Cut along the marked line smoothly and accurately, keep your hands steady and avoid shaking to cause uneven edges. For curved parts, slowly push and adjust the direction several times to ensure smooth curves.

[0074] • Edge treatment: After cutting, check if the edges are smooth and free of burrs. If necessary, use a lighter to slightly burn the PVA layer edge, making it slightly melt and stick together to prevent fraying. For the base polyester fiber, use a hem machine to reinforce the edge for better durability.

[0075] 4.2 Sewing operation steps

[0076] • Prepare sewing equipment: Choose an industrial sewing machine suitable for composite materials, equipped with corresponding thread thickness (high-strength nylon thread is recommended), and needle suitable for different material layers.

[0077] • Position and fix: Stack the cut layers in order, ensuring the edges are aligned. Use a pin or special tape to temporarily fix them to prevent displacement during sewing.

[0078] • Sewing technique: Start from one end and sew evenly along the edge, keeping the stitch consistent (about 3-4 stitches per centimeter). For corners, use pleating or cutting to make the fabric transition smoothly and reduce wrinkles. Pay attention to the tension of the sewing machine to avoid too tight causing material deformation or too loose affecting structural stability.

[0079] • Reinforced stitching: At critical connection points such as seam intersections and areas of high stress, double stitching or backstitching can be used to enhance durability.

[0080] • Finishing and inspection: After sewing, excess thread ends are trimmed, and the stitches are gently ironed flat with an iron set to an appropriate temperature to ensure they lie flush with the material surface, enhancing both appearance and comfort. A thorough inspection is then conducted to ensure there are no missed needle holes, the stitches are secure, and the overall appearance is neat.

[0081] Through the above detailed cutting and sewing steps, it can be ensured that the multifunctional quick-change camouflage material is accurately and high-quality processed into a camouflage cover that meets specific needs, effectively improving its practicality and concealment effect in military applications.

[0082] Experimental Testing

[0083] 1. Quick-change camouflage effect:

[0084] Experimental Setup: Under laboratory conditions, the middle layer material was exposed to a simulated marine environment (30°C, 3.5% saltwater concentration).

[0085] Existing camouflage materials mainly include the following:

[0086] 1. Thermally sensitive color-changing material: This material can change color according to temperature changes and is commonly used in temperature indicators and temperature-sensitive labels. Its color transition time is generally around 5-10 seconds.

[0087] 2. Light-sensitive color-changing material: This material changes color under the action of ultraviolet light, ultraviolet rays, etc., commonly used in anti-counterfeiting labels and light-sensitive dyes. Its color transition time is generally around 10-20 seconds.

[0088] 3. Chemically sensitive color-changing material: This material can change color through specific chemical reactions, such as pH-sensitive dyes that change color according to the pH value of the solution. Its color transition time is generally around 15-30 seconds.

[0089] 4. Electromagnetic-sensitive color-changing material: This material can change color through the action of electromagnetic fields, commonly used in electronic displays and electromagnetic inductors. Its color transition time is generally around 10-15 seconds.

[0090] Table 1

[0091] Item Example 1 Traditional heat-sensitive color-changing material Traditional light-sensitive color-changing material Traditional chemical-sensitive color-changing material Traditional electromagnetic-sensitive color-changing material Note Color transition time (sec) 3.8 10 15 23 13 Tested under simulated marine environment

[0092] As shown in Table 1 above, the color conversion time of the newly developed intermediate layer material in the simulated marine environment is only 3.8 seconds, which is much better than the average conversion time of existing camouflage materials on the market, indicating that the new material has faster conversion speed and can more effectively achieve the effect of fast conversion camouflage. This significant speed improvement is due to the unique water-reactive paint formula of the intermediate layer, which is designed to allow the paint to chemically react with water molecules in a very short time and quickly change color. For example, during a reconnaissance mission at sea, a small unmanned boat using this material completed the camouflage conversion from gray to sea blue almost instantly after encountering sudden waves, effectively avoiding detection by enemy radar, successfully collecting key intelligence, and safely withdrawing.

[0093] 2. Color stability

[0094] Experimental setup: The samples were subjected to 72 hours of aging test under ultraviolet light and 48 hours of salt spray corrosion test, and the results are shown in Table 2.

[0095] Table 2

[0096] Item Example 1 Traditional camouflage material A Traditional camouflage material B Note Color retention rate after 72 hours of UV light irradiation 98% 85% 80% 72 hours of UV light irradiation aging test Color retention rate after 48 hours of salt spray corrosion 98% 85% 82% 48 hours of salt spray corrosion test

[0097] As shown in Table 2 above, the color retention rate is 98%, while the traditional camouflage material can only maintain 85% of the initial color under the same conditions. This result shows that the embodiment 1 of the present scheme has excellent weather resistance and corrosion resistance. This excellent weather resistance and corrosion resistance is due to the high-quality dyeing process of the base layer polyester fiber and the chemical stability of the intermediate layer paint. In practical applications, such as equipment covered with this material deployed by a certain unit in the desert area, after months of sun and rain, the appearance is still as bright as ever, effectively extending the service life and maintenance cycle of the equipment.

[0098] 3. Durability

[0099] Experimental setup: The base layer material was subjected to 5000 times of rubbing test and 1000 hours of seawater immersion test, as shown in Table 3:

[0100] Table 3

[0101] Item Example 1 Traditional polyester fiber Traditional polyester fiber Note Wear and tear after friction test (5000 times) No obvious wear and tear Obvious wear and tear Obvious wear and tear Passed 5000 times of friction test Corrosion after seawater immersion (1000 hours) No corrosion Corrosion Corrosion Passed 1000 hours of seawater immersion test

[0102] After rubbing, the embodiment 1 has no obvious wear and tear, and the strength decreases by no more than 5%; after seawater immersion, the fiber structure is complete and there is no color difference change, compared with conventional polyester fiber, its wear resistance is improved by about 30%, and its corrosion resistance is improved by 50%. In contrast, traditional camouflage materials often fade, break or degrade under similar conditions. For example, during a amphibious landing exercise, armored vehicles using this material repeatedly drove on the beach, experienced sandstone friction and seawater erosion, but the camouflage effect remained stable, providing reliable concealment support for combat operations.

[0103] 4、Preparation is simple and cost-effective

[0104] Table 4

[0105] Item Example 1 Traditional material A Traditional material B Note Production cost (per square meter, US dollars) ＜10 15 14 Cost comparison under single-piece production scale

[0106] In the factory production simulation, by optimizing the preparation process, the single batch production cycle is shortened to 60% of the original, and the unit area production cost is reduced by about 40%. In large-scale production, the cost per square meter can be controlled within 10 US dollars, which has obvious economic advantages compared with traditional multifunctional camouflage materials.

[0107] These specific data not only prove the significant performance advantages of the multifunctional rapid camouflage material of the present scheme, but also demonstrate its reliability and economic value in practical application, providing a more efficient and economical solution for amphibious operations in the military field.

[0108] Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, not all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art and related fields without creative labor shall belong to the scope of protection of the present application. The structures, devices and operation methods not specifically described and explained in the present application are implemented according to the conventional means in the art, unless otherwise specified and limited.

Claims

1. A rapidly switchable material for military camouflage, characterized in that The base layer, the intermediate layer and the outermost layer are sequentially arranged from inside to outside; The base layer is a green layer composed of polyester fibers; the intermediate layer is a peelable watercolor layer, which presents a yellow color matching the color tone of the desert environment in a dry state and turns into a marine blue color when contacting water; and the outermost layer is a water-permeable material layer made of polyvinyl alcohol. The intermediate layer is coated on the outermost layer.

2. The rapidly reconfigurable material for military camouflage of claim 1, wherein, The preparation steps of the intermediate layer are as follows: S1, preparation of polyester-based material: polyester powder is added to an organic solvent, stirred to fully dissolve, forming a polyester solution; an amino-containing compound is added to the polyester solution, and the reaction conditions such as temperature and reaction time are controlled to promote the reaction of the functional groups with the polyester and introduce amino functional groups; the reaction mixture is filtered to remove impurities, and then the filtrate is dried to obtain polyester-based material containing amino functional groups; S2, color matching: yellow pigment is added to an appropriate amount of organic solvent, stirred and dissolved to form a yellow pigment solution; Isocyanate is gradually added to the yellow pigment solution to form a precursor of the color-changing reaction; S3, mixing the polyester-based material with the precursor and adding a catalyst to accelerate the reaction speed to obtain the color-changing coating layer of the intermediate layer.

3. The rapidly reconfigurable material for military camouflage of claim 2, wherein, The steps of coating the intermediate layer on the outermost layer are as follows: A1, color-changing coating preparation: the color-changing coating is mixed with an appropriate amount of solvent to adjust the concentration and viscosity, ensuring the uniformity and stability of the coating; A2, coating operation: a precision coater is used to uniformly coat the color-changing coating on the PVA water-permeable material, and the coating thickness is controlled to be 0.1 mm; A3, drying and curing: the coated material is placed in a UV curing machine for drying and curing, so that the coating is completely dried and a stable color-changing layer is formed.

4. The rapidly reconfigurable material for military camouflage of claim 2, wherein, The organic solvent in S1 includes at least one of acetone and chloroform, and the amino-containing compound in S1 includes ethylenediamine; the organic solvent in S2 includes at least one of methanol and ethanol.

5. The rapidly reconfigurable material for military camouflage of claim 1, wherein, The preparation steps of the base layer are as follows: B1, preparation of dye bath: a green dye with high color stability and resistance to seawater corrosion is selected, and the green dye is mixed with a dyeing aid to form a dye bath with a concentration of 5%; B2, treatment of polyester fibers: the polyester fibers are pretreated, including cleaning and degreasing, cleaned with ethanol, and then air dried. B3, dyeing: the treated polyester fibers are soaked in the 5% green dye dye bath, the temperature is controlled at 80°C, the time is 60 minutes, and continuous stirring is performed to ensure uniform penetration of the dye. B4, curing: the dyed polyester fibers are cured at a high temperature of 120°C for 2 hours to obtain the base layer material.

6. The rapidly reconfigurable camouflage material of claim 5, wherein, The green dye includes 2-[(4-aminophenyl) ethylene]-1,3,3-trimethyl-8-oxa-cyclo[3.2.1] octan-5-one.