# Experimental Study on Mechanical Performance and Blast Resistance of Aramid, Carbon, and UHMWPE Fabrics

## TL;DR

This study compares how aramid, carbon, and UHMWPE fabrics perform under mechanical stress and blast conditions, finding that combining them improves blast resistance.

## Contribution

The novel contribution is demonstrating the effectiveness of hybrid multi-ply fabric configurations in enhancing blast resistance through synergistic material properties.

## Key findings

- Carbon fabric is stiff but brittle and fails under blast loads, while UHMWPE shows superior ductility and energy absorption.
- A hybrid A-C-U fabric configuration minimizes failure by leveraging the strengths of each material layer.
- All fabrics reduced peak overpressure by over 80%, with performance improving as thickness increases.

## Abstract

This study investigates the mechanical performance and blast resistance of high-performance aramid, carbon, and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fiber fabrics, responding to the need for lightweight and flexible materials in anti-explosion containers for aviation and critical infrastructure. The experimental methodology integrated quasi-static and dynamic tensile tests to characterize the strain-rate effect, followed by near-field air blast tests on both single-material and hybrid multi-ply fabric specimens to analyze their dynamic response, failure modes, and overpressure attenuation. Key findings revealed that carbon fabric exhibited high stiffness but was strain-rate insensitive and susceptible to brittle perforation failure, whereas aramid and UHMWPE fabrics demonstrated strain-rate sensitivity, with UHMWPE showing superior ductility and energy absorption. The hybrid multi-ply configuration (A-C-U sequence) achieved the least amount of failure, effectively utilizing the wave impedance of aramid fabric for initial shock reflection, high stiffness of carbon fabric for stress homogenization, and plasticity of UHMWPE fabric for energy dissipation. Additionally, all fabrics attenuated peak overpressure by over 80%, with enhancement observed for increased thickness. The study concludes that the strategic layering of different fabrics creates a synergistic effect, mitigating the weaknesses of individual fabrics and establishing an effective design paradigm for advanced blast-resistant structures, further enhancing the protective performance.