Effect of fabric orientation and impact angle on the erosion behavior of high-performance thermoplastic composites reinforced with ductile fabric

How composites reinforced with plain-weave polybenzoxazole (PBO) fibers were eroded by solid particles was investigated. By evaluating the erosion rates of plain polymers and these composites at various impact angles (alpha=15-90 degrees), we confirmed that the polymers and their composites were ductile. The relationship between erosion behavior and fabric orientation from an energy perspective was studied, and our experimental results agreed well with our analytical results showing that the erosion behavior did not depend on fabric orientation. Using these results and scanning electron micrographs, a mathematical model was produced and it was used to predict the erosion rates of ductile materials. To verify this model, the theoretical and measured erosion rates of three high-performance ductile-fabric reinforced thermoplastic composites were compared, showing that our mathematical model can accurately characterize their erosion behaviors. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.