Inter-/Intra-Laminar Reinforced Hybrid Fibre Composites by Needle Punching and Thermal Bonding: Evaluation of Mechanical and Static Puncture Properties

Abstract

This study comparatively presents the static puncture property of different structures of intra-/inter-laminar reinforced hybrid composites via needle punching and thermal bonding techniques. The tensile and bursting properties of two composites with inter-laminar reinforcement by needle-punching and inter-and-intra-laminar reinforcement by both needle punching and using Kevlar fibres were also evaluated comparatively. The significance of process parameters including the low-melting PET fibre content, take-up speed of the punching machine, the plied orientation between the nonwoven and fabric and thermal bonding on the static puncture resistance was firstly investigated to seek out the significant parameters. The effects of significant processing parameters on static puncture and mechanical properties were explored afterwards. The research result shows that the plied orientation, low-melting PET content and thermal bonding affect the static puncture resistance most significantly. The maximum tensile strength and bursting strength occurred when hybrid composites after thermal bonding were composed of parallel-plied nonwovens and 90°-orientated glass fabric, as well as 70 wt% low-melting PET fibres. Recycled Kevlar fibre reinforcement dissipates additional static puncture resistance, and makes the static puncture resistance higher, as well as the tensile and bursting strengths for resultant hybrid fibre composites. Employing recycled Kevlar fibres is economical for the fabrication of hybrid composites. Diversified economical hybrid composites will be applied as a wall interlayer or garment interlining in the future.

Polyethylene terephthalate/basalt stab-resistant sandwich composites based on the Box–Behnken design: Parameter optimization and empirical regression model

“…The complementary benefits of differing fibers simultaneously decrease the production cost without affecting the stab resistance of the hybrid composites. Our previous studies investigate how process parameters are in relation to the spike stab resistance [11,17,18], but the relationship between manufacture parameters and spike stab property is not established. Therefore, in this study, the hybrid structure and needle punching parameters are optimized using the Box–Behnken design, and a regression model is established based on manufacture parameters and stab resistance in order to provide a theoretical basis that indicates the number of lamination layers of armor.…”