Ballistic Response Study Of Ultra-high Molecular Weight Polyethylene Rigid Panel

The purpose of this paper is to study the ballistic response mechanism of rigid panels with different thicknesses of UHMWPE,to determine the sensitivity of each region of panel thickness to ballistic response,and to improve the ballistic performance of panels by designing interlayer hybrid panels in sensitive areas.The main content of this paper includes the following aspects:1.The mechanical properties of UHMWPE and aramid materials were tested in tensile,in-plane shear and transverse shear,and the test results provided partial support for the finite element model,and the test results showed that the mechanical properties of UHMWPE materials were better than those of aramid fibers.Penetrating and non-penetrating ballistic tests were conducted on rigid panels of different thicknesses of UHMWPE,and the energy absorption of the rigid panels was analyzed by calculating EA(energy absorption)and SEA(specific energy absorption)of each panel after processing the data.It was found by field emission scanning electron microscopy that the fibers at the front of the UHMWPE panel showed signs of melt damage.2.A ballistic impact finite element model of the composite laminate structure was established using ABAQUS software in total,and the model was analyzed to further investigate the response characteristics inside the panel.The validity of the model was verified by the residual velocity of the projectile and the macroscopic damage pattern of the panel in the model.The composite laminate structure model simulates the ballistic impact process by using the material property user-defined subroutine VUMAT in ABAQUS software with 3D solid elements,and effectively simulates the delamination phenomenon generated by the rigid panel during the ballistic impact process by adding cohesive interface elements.The parameters of strain energy,kinetic energy and stress in different regions inside the panel are outputted by the model,and the results show certain response pattern inside the UHMWPE rigid panel:the front and rear parts of the UHMWPE rigid panel are more sensitive to the ballistic response,and this part of the material may affect the ballistic performance of the whole panel.Reducing the material properties of the front part of the UHMWPE model panel,it is found that the overall energy absorption of the panel decreases significantly,so the front part of the panel is considered as the sensitive area of ballistic response.3.A set of hybrid panels with interlayer mixture of aramid/PE was designed according to the law.The penetration and non-penetration ballistic tests were conducted on the hybrid panels,and the results of the penetration tests showed that compared with the pure UHMWPE panels,the ballistic performance of the hybrid panes with 2 kg/m~2aramid+4 kg/m~2PE was significantly improved,and the BFS was also slightly improved,but still compounded with the international standard requirements.This result verifies the existence of the sensitive zone in the front of the UHMWPE rigid panel and provides a new idea to improve the ballistic performance of the panel through the design of the hybrid panel.