Puncture impact performance of rPET/Kevlar hybrid laminated composite

In this study, the response of hybrid laminated composite reinforced with recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate (rPET) plain-woven mat and plain-woven Kevlar fabric under medium-velocity impact was studied. Four types of hybrid laminated composite (i.e., rPET/rPET, rPET/Kevlar, Kevlar/Kevlar, Kevlar/rPET) were fabricated using hand lay-up followed by vacuum bagging technique. The matrix material used in this study was the mixture of epoxy (SP84) and hardener (SP76). Medium-velocity puncture impact experiments were carried out on the laminated composite at different thickness and velocity of 10m/s. The performance of hybrid laminated composite was evaluated in terms of peak load, energy absorbed and impact strength. This study has also attempted to find the optimum stacking configurations of rPET and Kevlar. According to the result, stacking configurations can considerably affect the impact response. Kevlar/Kevlar hybrid laminated composite shows higher resistance to impact damage followed by Kevlar/rPET, rPET/Kevlar and rPET/rPET.