Efficient design of Kevlar/basalt hybrid composite laminates under ballistic impact

Abstract

Advanced composite materials such as Kevlar and basalt are most commonly used for the efficient design of body armor to predict the safety and reliability of the armor systems. The aim of this study is to develop the lightweight and efficient design of armor plate using the 3D Kevlar/basalt hybridization and different stacking sequences of composite laminates impacting with two impactors under high-velocity impact. Damage initiation and damage propagation based on the Yen criteria are developed to investigate the different failure modes of composites. The hybrid composite panels are modeled using 3D solid element considering the four different types of panels such as H3B3, H3K3, B3K3 and K3-16 impacting with fragment simulating projectile (FSP) and 9 mm full metal jacket(FMJ) projectiles. The efficient design of hybrid panel B3K3 showed excellent ballistic performance parameters in comparison to the other hybrid panels designed under the FSP and FMJ projectiles.