Experimental and Multi-scale Computational Investigation on the Low-Velocity Impact Response of Carbon/Kevlar Hybrid Composite Laminates 


Vol. 27,  No. 3, pp. 1417-1432, Mar.  2026
10.1007/s12221-025-01284-6


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  Abstract

To address the susceptibility of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) to damage under low-velocity impact due to the inherent brittleness of carbon fibers, this study introduces an intralayer hybrid composite (HFRP) incorporating Kevlar and carbon fibers to enhance impact resistance. Material parameters were obtained through tensile, shear and drop-weight impact tests. A multi-scale modeling approach was then employed, integrating a micro–meso-representative volume element (RVE) model to predict homogenized properties and a macroscopic finite element model for impact simulation. The close agreement between experimental and simulation results in terms of mechanical response and damage morphology validated the effectiveness of the multi-scale model. Results indicate that the HFRP exhibited a 7.5% increase in energy absorption and a 33.1% reduction in back-face damage area compared to CFRP, demonstrating that the incorporation of Kevlar fibers effectively curbed damage propagation. Furthermore, evaluation of different hybrid configurations revealed that an interlayer–intralayer synergistic design (H₂K₄H₂) yielded the optimal performance. This configuration achieved increases of 20.5% in energy absorption and 32.0% in peak load over non-hybrid composites, highlighting the synergistic benefit of combining the high stiffness of carbon fibers with the high toughness of Kevlar fibers. These findings confirm that a multi-level hybrid design can significantly improve the structural integrity and impact performance of composite materials.

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  Cite this article

[IEEE Style]

A. Zhang, X. Li, P. Zhang, "Experimental and Multi-scale Computational Investigation on the Low-Velocity Impact Response of Carbon/Kevlar Hybrid Composite Laminates," Fibers and Polymers, vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 1417-1432, 2026. DOI: 10.1007/s12221-025-01284-6.

[ACM Style]

AiXiang Zhang, Xinmei Li, and PeiHao Zhang. 2026. Experimental and Multi-scale Computational Investigation on the Low-Velocity Impact Response of Carbon/Kevlar Hybrid Composite Laminates. Fibers and Polymers, 27, 3, (2026), 1417-1432. DOI: 10.1007/s12221-025-01284-6.

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