Raman Spectroscopy as a Novel Technique for Non-Destructive Measurements of Transparent Materials in Bullet-Resistant Glass

Abstract

The hypothesis that Raman spectroscopy can be used to study bullet-resistant glass was proposed. Raman spectroscopy has been employed historically as a useful scientific inspection tool that reveals information about the molecular structure of a material. A long working distance Raman spectrometer was designed and built. The novel use of this device as a technique for the characterization of thick transparent materials is described. Experiments using the custom Raman system on bullet-resistant glass constructs and related samples are defined herein. The results are discussed in terms of the material identity, thickness and order within the multilayered constructs. The unique Raman signal is related to the identity of each material and demonstrated with the instrument. In addition, full depth profiles are created for complex samples of bullet-resistant glass. It is concluded that Raman spectroscopy is an ideally suited technique in these types of measurements that can be utilized beyond bullet-resistant glass samples. In conclusion, this method proved to be effective in supporting this thesis and may have much broader use with continued exploration.