Definition
A fabric woven from Kevlar™ aramid fibers, used in aircraft composite construction as a reinforcement material. It is layered with a resin (such as epoxy) to form composite parts that are lightweight, strong in tension, and highly resistant to impact and abrasion.
Plain English
A tough, lightweight cloth made from very strong synthetic fibers. Aircraft builders soak it in a resin and let it harden, creating parts that are light but very hard to tear or puncture.
Context Anchor
Seen in composite aircraft construction and repair discussions, especially when describing the fabric layers used to build or strengthen a part.
Derivation
Kevlar™ is a registered trademark of DuPont for a type of aramid fiber developed in the 1960s. The name itself was coined by DuPont and has no everyday meaning; ‘cloth’ simply refers to the woven fabric form of the fiber. Knowing it is a trademarked brand (like Velcro™) helps explain why it is always capitalized and trademarked in FAA texts.
Why Pilots Care
It provides high impact resistance and strength at low weight, improving durability and safety in composite aircraft components.
Analogy
Think of the same kind of fabric used in bulletproof vests, woven into a cloth and then glued into a hard, lightweight shell.
Intuition Check
Do not think of this as ordinary clothing fabric. In this context, Kevlar™ cloth is a structural material used to help carry loads in an aircraft part.
Example Sentence 1
The cowling on this aircraft is made from Kevlar™ cloth, which is why it resists cracking from minor impacts better than fiberglass.
Example Sentence 2
Kevlar cloth was added around the landing gear attachment points to resist impact and abrasion.