A Meso-Scale Unit-Cell Based Material Model for the Single-Ply Flexible-Fabric Armor

Abstract

A meso-scale unit-cell based material model for a prototypical plain-woven single-ply flexible armor is developed and implemented in a material user subroutine for use in commercial explicit finite element programs. The main intent of the model is to attain computational efficiency when calculating the mechanical response of the multi-ply fabric-based flexible armor material during its impact with various projectiles without significantly sacrificing the key physical aspects of the fabric microstructure, architecture and behavior. To validate the new model, a comparative finite element method (FEM) analysis is carried out in which: (a) the plain-woven single-ply fabric is modeled using conventional shell elements and weaving is done in an explicit manner by snaking the yarns through the fabric and (b) the fabric is treated as a planar continuum surface composed of conventional shell elements to which the new meso-scale unit-cell based material model is assigned. The results obtained show that the material model provides a reasonably good description for the fabric deformation and fracture behavior under different combinations of fixed and free boundary conditions.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2009
Accession Number
ADA595590

Entities

People

  • Bryan A. Cheeseman
  • G. Arakere
  • Mica Grujicic
  • Temple He
  • W. C. Bell

Organizations

  • Clemson University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Body Armor
  • Boundaries
  • Engineering
  • Far Field
  • Finite Element Analysis
  • Kinetic Energy
  • Materials
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Mechanics
  • Numerical Analysis
  • Procedures (Computers)
  • Projectiles
  • Shear Modulus
  • Shear Stresses
  • Spatial Distribution
  • Three Dimensional
  • Transverse Waves

Readers

  • Finite Element Method (FEM) for solving Partial Differential Equations (PDEs)
  • Reinforced Composite Materials