Evaluation of ballistic performance of hybrid Kevlar®/Cocos nucifera sheath reinforced epoxy composites |
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| Authors: | J Naveen E S Zainudin Mohamed T H Sultan R Yahaya |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia;2. Laboratory of Bio composite Technology, Institute of Tropical Forestry and Forest Products (INTROP), Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia;3. Laboratory of Bio composite Technology, Institute of Tropical Forestry and Forest Products (INTROP), Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia;4. Department of Aerospace engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia;5. Science and Technology Research Institute for Defence, Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia |
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| Abstract: | The aim of this research is replacement of petroleum resource-based costlier Kevlar® 29 fabric (K) with a naturally woven novel Cocos nucifera sheath (CS) for ballistic applications. Cocos nucifera sheath is a bio waste, and it is termed as ‘Natural Textile’. Nine and twelve layered hybrid and nonhybrid laminates were fabricated with different layering sequence by hand lay-up method followed by hot pressing. Energy absorption and ballistic limit of the laminated composites were evaluated using a single stage gas gun ballistic setup with 8?mm hemispherical stainless steel projectile. The obtained results revealed that hybrid composites and CS/epoxy composite panels exhibited higher energy absorption (30%) and ballistic limit (13%) compared to Kevlar® fabric/epoxy composites. It is due to CS’s chemical composition, architecture, and unique shock wave dissipation mechanism. Hence, this new eco-friendly material will efficiently replace Kevlar® fabric in the ballistic composites. |
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| Keywords: | Kevlar® Cocos nucifera sheath hybrid composites ballistic limit energy absorption |
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