DEVELOPMENT AND BALLISTIC EVALUATION OF CARBON FIBER-REINFORCED COCONUT-BASED HYBRID COMPOSITES FOR PROTECTIVE APPLICATIONS
The increasing demand for lightweight, cost-effective, and sustainable ballistic protection materials has highlighted the limitations of conventional synthetic armor systems, particularly in terms of weight, cost, and environmental impact. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a novel hybrid composite system incorporating agro-waste reinforcements for potential application in lightweight ballistic protection. The composite architecture consisted of a carbon fiber (CF) strike face integrated with an epoxy matrix reinforced using alkali-treated coconut husk fiber (CHF), coconut shell powder (CSP), and lithium oxide (Li?O). CHF was incorporated at varying loadings (10�30 wt.%) alongside fixed proportions of CSP and Li?O, and the resulting composites were fabricated and subjected to mechanical characterization, including tensile, flexural, and impact testing. Ballistic performance was assessed using live-fire testing with 7.62 � 39 mm ammunition at a firing distance of 100 m. The results showed that the optimum formulation (10 g CHF, 30 g CSP, 10 g Li?O, and 50 g epoxy) achieved the highest mechanical performance, with tensile strength of 27.14 MPa, flexural strength of 54.44 MPa, and impact strength of 0.294 J/mm. Ballistic evaluation demonstrated that a five-layer hybrid composite configuration effectively arrested the projectile, producing acceptable back-face deformation in the range of 8�12 mm. These findings indicate that coconut-based hybrid composites, when layered and combined with a carbon fiber strike face, can provide effective medium-range ballistic resistance. It is recommended that such hybrid systems be further optimized through thickness scaling and numerical impact modeling to support their adoption as sustainable alternatives to conventional synthetic armor materials.
Authors : Gambo, I., Akindapo, J.O. and Orueri, D.U.
Category : Open Access Volume (Issue) : 11(2) Date Uploaded : 11th February 2026