Investigation of quasi-static punching penetration behavior of Kevlar plain-woven fabric

Punching resistance properties of the fabric are vital for several applications such as slash-resistant clothing. In this paper, the penetration of a puncher through a plain Kevlar woven fabric was analyzed to recognize the process of punching and the mechanism of yarn breakage. The model focused on the study of the difference between fabric that is woven from the continuous multifilament yarn or the spun yarn and the effects of their yarn structure on punching resistance. The relation between the warp and weft yarns and the punching resistance force of the fabric at different punching speeds was investigated. This work focused on the potentiality to use fabric from coarse Kevlar spun yarns instead of continuous filament yarns to enhance the punching resistance. Samples of fabrics were tested on a specially designed set-up to investigate the behaviour of warp and weft yarns under punching load. A basic understanding of the damage to the fabric under punching has been developed. The ANOVA analysis of the specific punching force and energy shows that the fabric types have a significant effect on the specific punching force and energy. The use of the fabrics from spun yarns increased specific punching force by 145% while the specific punching energy was elevated by 210% in comparison to fabrics from continuous filament yarns. The current study opens a new research road to the application of Kevlar spun fabric from spun yarns.