Energy absorption performance of Kevlar/snake grass fiber composites under ballistic impact test with nano Al2O3 inclusion

Present research work aims to know the significance of nanofiller aluminum oxide (Al2O3) loading on viscoelastic behavior and ballistic impact behavior of Kevlar/snake grass fiber (SGF) hybrid epoxy composites. A mechanical stirring process was used to modify the epoxy matrix by adding different weights (0%, 2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, and 10%) of the nanofiller Al2O3. The manual lay-up method by subsequent hot pressing was used to create the Al2O3-added Kevlar/SGF hybrid epoxy composites. The tensile, interlaminar shear, flexural, and impact strength were tested. When compared to the control sample, the 2 wt% filler-loaded hybrid composites had higher tensile strength, flexural strength, impact strength, and interlaminar shear strength by 6.42%, 6.11%, 53.11%, and 11.08%, respectively. Furthermore, morphological analysis was performed on the mechanically tested samples to forecast the failure mechanism. The 2 wt% filler-loaded hybrid epoxy composites demonstrated effective interfacial bonding with matrix and minimal fiber pullout, according to micrograph images. The developed hybrid composites were subjected to dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The DMA results demonstrated that hybrid composites with 8 wt% filler had better viscoelastic behavior than the control sample. Under a ballistic impact test, the ability of the Kevlar/SGF composites with nano Al2O3 inclusion to absorb energy was assessed. According to the findings, incorporating nano Al2O3 into Kevlar/SGF composites strengthened their ballistic impact resistance and energy absorption. The addition of 8 wt% nanofiller resulted in high energy absorption, according to ballistic impact studies. As compared to the control sample, the composite sample with 8% filler reveals a 68.80% enhanced energy absorption. Furthermore, the composite samples with the optimal wt% Al2O3 nanofiller can be used to mold impact-resistant materials for a bulletproof vest.