Investigation of mechanical behavior of woven/knitted hybrid composites

The objective of this research is to develop the woven/knitted hybrid composites for improved in plane as well as out of plane mechanical properties. Two different type of structures and two different materials were used in this study. Firstly, the woven and knitted fabrics were developed with glass and Kevlar yarn. Secondly, the laminated composite samples were fabricated with different stacking sequence of fabric plies. The epoxy resin was used as matrix. The cured samples were characterized for impact, tensile and dynamic mechanical properties. The behavior of composite materials was then analyzed with percentages of different fiber and fabric types. The samples with higher percentages of knitted reinforcement gave better impact strength but failed to provide better tensile properties. Moreover, the samples with higher percentages of woven structure and glass materials gives better modulus values.