Investigation of ballistic performance of nanoparticle reinforced aramid based ballistic fabrics

In this study, the effect of nanoparticle reinforcement on the ballistic performance of aramid-based ballistic fabrics was investigated. Titanium carbide was chosen as the nanoparticle reinforcement, while epoxy resin was used as the matrix material. To compare the ballistic performance of samples prepared with pure epoxy resin, titanium carbide nanoparticles were added to the epoxy matrix at concentrations of 1%, 3%, and 5% by weight of the total epoxy resin-hardener mixture. Tensile and three-point bending tests were also conducted to investigate changes in mechanical properties. To ensure the homogeneous dispersion of titanium carbide nanoparticles within the epoxy resin, ultrasonic mixing was employed, and the resulting mixtures were impregnated into aramid fabrics using the hand lay-up method, followed by hot pressing to form composite plates. As a result of mechanical tests applied to samples prepared with titanium carbide reinforcement and pure epoxy, it was observed that nanoparticle reinforcement improved mechanical properties. As a result of the ballistic test performed on samples with mixture ratios of 3 and 5% by weight, where the best results were obtained in mechanical tests in order to determine the ballistic performance, it was determined that the TiC nanoparticle did not have a positive or negative effect on the ballistic properties.