Multi layered natural rubber coated woven P‐aramid and UHMWPE fabric composites for soft body armor application

In this work, the authors have investigated the impact performance of natural rubber (NR) coated high strength, high modulus fabrics. P‐aramid (Kevlar 129) and ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fabric were coated with different concentrations of NR solutions (20%, 30%). Samples were produced with different add on percentage. The NR solutions with 20% and 30% solid content provided 4 and 6% add‐on on p‐aramid fabric and 6 and 9% add‐on on UHMWPE fabric. Multilayered fabric structures coated with NR were also studied. Compression molding technique was used to prepare the layered fabric structures. The effect of coating with different add‐on percentages of NR on fabrics was studied. The pull out force increased by ∼480% and 360% on NR‐coated p‐aramid and UHMWPE fabrics, respectively. Although the impact energy absorption of single layer NR‐coated fabrics was lower than that of neat fabrics, there was substantial improvement in the impact energy absorption of the two layered p‐aramid and UHMWPE rubber coated fabrics as compared to untreated two layered ones. The increase was 44% and 81%, respectively, for Kevlar and UHMWPE fabrics. Further, the effect of NR latex treatment on tensile strength of fabrics has also been studied. POLYM. COMPOS., 39:3636–3644, 2018. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers