Ballistic Impact of Textile Structures

Abstract

Previous work on transverse impact of single textile fibers is reviewed and extended to model orthogonal weaves in which fiber crossovers are simplified as pin. joints. A dynamic finite-element computer technique previously developed for single fibers is extended to model the woven panel, and this method is shown to produce results which are in sub stantial agreement with experimental observations of ballistic nylon panels. Impact of a woven textile panel is shown to exhibit substantial differences compared to the equivalent impact of a single fiber, primarily in that the propagating strain waves experience pervasive and complex interactions due to the influence of the fiber crossovers. The vast majority of ballistic energy is seen to be deposited in the orthogonal fibers passing through the impact point, while the other fibers are essentially ineffective, which suggests possible improvements in the design of textile structures intended for dynamic impact applications.

Keywords

Single fibers woven panels nylon fabric textile structures. Armor design transverse impact ballistic impact. Wave propagation dynamic finite-element analysis dynamic constitutive relations dynamic failure criteria stress- strain. Rate-independent theory numerical analysis algorithm Fortran.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Crandall, S.H. , "Engineering Analysis," New York, McGraw-Hill, 1956, pp. 196-403.

Cristescu, N. , "Dynamic Plasticity," Amsterdam, North-Holland, 1967.

Lynch, F. de S. , Dynamic Response of a Constrained Fibrous System Subjected to Transverse Impact. Part II: A Mechanical Model, Technical Report AMMRC TR70-16, Army Materials and Mechanics Research Center, Watertown, Mass., July 1970.

Mehta, P.K. and Davids, N. , A Direct Numerical Analysis Method for Cylindrical and Spherical Elastic Waves , AIAA J. 4, 112-117 (1966).

Pilsworth, M.N. , Tensile Impact on Rubber and Nylon, Quartermaster Research and Engineering Center, Natick, Massachusetts, Technical Report PR-3, May 1962.

Rakhmatulin, Kh. A. , "Strength Under High Transient Loads" (in English), Israel Program for Scientific Translation, Jersualem, 1966.

Roylance, D.K. , Wave Propagation in a Viscoelastic Fiber Subjected to Transverse Impact, J. Appl. Mechanics, In Press. Paper No. 72-APM-27.

Schultz, A.B. , Material Behavior in Wires of 1100 Aluminum Subjected to Transverse Impact, J. Appl. Mechanics 35, 342-348 (1968).

Smith, J.C. , Fenstermaker, C.A. , and Shouse, P.J. , Stress-Strain Relationships in Yarns Subjected to Rapid Impact Loading. Part X: Stress-Strain Curves Obtained by Impacts With Rifle Bullets, Textile Res. J. 33. 919-934 (1963).

10.

Smith, J.C. , McCrackin, F.L. , and Schiefer , H.F. , Stress-Strain Relationships in Yams Subjected to Rapid Impact Loading. Part V: Wave Propagation in Long Textile Yarns Impacted Transversely, Textile Res. J. 28, 288-302 (1958).

11.

Wenner, M.L. , Viscoelastic Waves with Reflection for Longitudinal Impact, in "Stress Waves and Penetration," Ed. Davids, N. , Final Report, The Pennsylvania State University, May 15, 1966.