| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
MS&T23: Materials Science & Technology
|
| Symposium
|
Recent Developments in Light-Weight Composites and Materials
|
| Presentation Title |
Numerical and Experimental Ballistic Performance Investigation of Carbon-Aramid and Carbon-ultrahigh Molecular Weight Polyethylene Composites for Ballistic Applications |
| Author(s) |
Ricardo Alvarez Sirot, Lorenzo Mallonga Matilac, Eduardo Dela Rosa Magdaluyo |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Ricardo Alvarez Sirot |
| Abstract Scope |
Fiber-reinforced polymer composites (FRPC) utilize a disruptor-absorber system for ballistic armors. The disruptor layer is made up of tougher fiber reinforcements, usually carbon fibers, while the absorber layer is composed of aramid or ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibers. This study investigates the ballistic performance of carbon-aramid and carbon-UHMWPE composite laminates with varying number fiber reinforcement layers to determine the better absorber layer between aramid and UHMWPE. The numerical simulation of the ballistic performance of the composites was conducted using ANSYS 2022 R2. For validation, composite plates of carbon-aramid and carbon-UHMWPE in laminating epoxy matrix were fabricated via hand lay-up method followed by vacuum-compression process to remove excess resin before undergoing ballistic penetration test. The ballistic simulation and penetration test results were comparable, showing aramid fibers as a relatively better absorber layer than UHMWPE having a bullet penetration of 15.081 mm obtained from the 40 carbon:40 aramid composite plate after the impact. The same plate also has the highest stress and kinetic energy absorbed measured at 467.00 MPa and 13.05 J, respectively. However, considering the overall weight of the plates, the carbon-UHMWPE plates were significantly lighter compared to that of carbon-aramid composite plates having a 0.10 to 0.23 kg weight difference. |