Effects of Fiber Orientation on the Mechanical Properties of Bidirectional Woven Kevlar Epoxy Composite

Abstract

Objectives: This study focuses on the mechanical behavior of different fiber orientations of bi-directional woven Kevlar fabric to improve the mechanical properties of the Kevlar epoxy composite materials. Methods: Here in this paper hand moulded composites are fabricated with the Bidirectional plain-woven Kevlar-49, Epoxy resin LY 556 and hardener HT972 and the configuration of the layer was symmetrical and contained 6 plies which arranged as C- (0/45/-45/45/-45/0), B- (0/60/-60/60/-60/0). The standard ASTM D 3039 for tensile test, ASTM D790 for flexural test and ASTM D256 was followed for the laboratory test. F indings: Polymer composite materials are popular due to its weight strength ratio. Bidirectional woven fiber is used for the analysis, where different fiber orientations are compared. From the analysis it is observed that, mechanical properties vary with different fiber orientations. Novelty: In this paper, tensile modulus, flexural modulus, and absorbed impact energy observed in the laboratory to find out the suitability of the Kevlar composite as a building material. The findings of this research are expected to have practical implications for the development of stronger and more durable polymer fiber composites in various structural applications. Keywords Kevlar fiber, Epoxy, Tensile test, Woven fabric, Fiber orientation