The effect of fiber orientation and stacking sequence on carbon/Kevlar/epoxy intraply hybrid composites under dynamic loading conditions

This work investigated the thermo-mechanical behavior of (carbon/Kevlar) intraply hybrid composites. The carbon/Kevlar plies' orientation and sequential arrangement were varied. Carbon and Kevlar composites, as well as five different intraply hybrids (HFRPs) composite such as carbon-0 degrees/Kevlar-90 degrees, carbon-45 degrees/Kevlar-135 degrees, carbon90 degrees/Kevlar-0 degrees, carbon/Kevlar (inter-changing layer), and carbon/Kevlar-45 degrees (interchanging layer) composites, and a plain epoxy panel, have been developed. The thermo-mechanical characteristics of the fabricated composites were estimated using a dynamic automated analyzer under changing mechanical and thermal load conditions. The DMA technique measured the HFRPs composite visco-elastic parameters by increasing the temperature from 30 degrees C to 150 degrees C at frequencies ranging from 1 to 20 Hz. Flexural test characteristics for neat epoxy, carbon fiber-reinforced composites, Kevlar fiber-reinforced composites, and carbon/Kevlar fiber-reinforced composites were estimated to aid the study. The experimentally measured versus analytically calculated viscoelastic parameters were related. The results revealed that carbon-90 degrees oriented in warp direction/Kevlar-0 degrees oriented in weft direction exhibited higher modulus and lower loss tangent followed by carbon/Kevlar plies oriented in alternate layers and carbon/Kevlar plies oriented in inter-changing layers at 45 degrees. Carbon-0 degrees introduced in the weft direction/ Kevlar-90 degrees introduced in the warp direction, and carbon-45 degrees/Kevlar-135 degrees exhibited intermediate storage and loss modulus and a moderate loss tangent at the various frequency levels considered in the study.