To investigate the degradation characteristics of Kevlar fabric due to light irradiation, Kevlar fabric samples were irradiated using ATLAS 150S+ of xenon arc light for a range of time durations up to 168 h in this study. The UV-Vis spectrum showed that the transmittance and reflectance from the Kevlar samples decreased and the absorption increased along with the exposure time, showing a definite degradation tendency of Kevlar fabrics after light irradiation. The SEM pictures showed that there are some residual deposits or corrosion on the surface of the fibers after irradiated for 168 h. The DSC curve, FTIR, and X-ray results showed the Kevlar fabric have a certain change but did not exhibit significant damage due to potential chemical interactions. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 120: 552-556, 2011