Experimental assessment of adding carbon nanotubes on the impact properties of Kevlar-ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene fibers hybrid composites

In the present study, the effect of adding various percentage (0.1, 0.3, 0.5, and 0.9 wt.%) of carbon nanotubes on the impact properties of hybrid composites reinforced with the different stacking sequence of Kevlar fibers and ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene was investigated. The obtained results showed that the composite with the configuration of sandwiched ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene layers by Kevlar layers had the higher impact properties as compared with other hybrid configurations. Adding 0.1 wt.% carbon nanotubes in this configuration was caused to increase the normalized absorbed energy more than 6.5 times. The fracture surface of this configuration showed that the branching and expanding the damage area were the dominant mechanisms for the energy absorption of impactor. Also, the field emission scanning electron microscope illustrated that the carbon nanotubes by bridging, pulling out, and fracturing mechanisms increased the capability of energy absorption in the hybrid composites.