Stab and puncture characterization of thermoplastic-impregnated aramid fabrics

The cut and puncture resistance of thermoplastic (TP) impregnated, woven aramid fabric is characterized under quasi-static and dynamic stab testing conditions. Polyethylene, Surlyn®, and co-extruded polyethylene–Surlyn films of various thicknesses are laminated into fabrics and compared with neat fabrics at equal weights and layer counts. The results show that TP-laminated fabrics improve the stab and puncture resistance of the fabrics, through a combination of increased cut resistance and reduced windowing. All films are shown to be effective, although thin Surlyn films appear to provide the best overall performance. The results also show that the TP films need to be integrally bonded to the fabrics in order to achieve synergistic property enhancement.