A NUMERICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECT OF PROJECTILE MASS ON THE ENERGY ABSORPTION OF FABRIC PANELS SUBJECTED TO BALLISTIC IMPACT

摘要

The focus of this study is to investigate the effect of projectile mass on the energy absorption characteristics of fabric panels. A numerical model of the fabric is developed using the explicit finite element code LS-DYNA. The model consists of an orthogonal grid of pin-jointed beam elements to simulate the yarns in the warp and weft directions. A series of numerical experiments is performed to generate plots of energy absorbed by the target as a function of impact velocity for different projectile masses. Three characteristic zones of energy absorption with impact velocity demarcations are identified on these plots. It is shown that the projectile mass strongly influences the characteristics of the energy absorption within the intermediate zone where the target undergoes global stretching prior to perforation.