Numerical analysis of strain rate effect on ballistic impact response of multilayer three dimensional angle-interlock woven fabric

This paper investigates the ballistic impact on Kevlar multilayer three-dimensional angle-interlock woven fabric (3DAWF) by proposing the mesoscale geometrical model for the numerical simulation. Multilayer 3DAWF is designed to yarn level configuration by utilizing the membrane elements to reduce computational time and enhance accuracy. The general-purpose finite element code LS-DYNA is employed to predict the ballistic behavior of multilayer 3DAWF under ballistic penetration. The velocity evolution of the projectile, energy absorption mechanism, and failure morphology of multilayer 3DAWF are predicted and validated by the impact test results. It is found that the mesoscale model based on strain rate material models accurately reproduces the ballistic test results. Numerical simulations with strain rate effects in the yarn material properties have a higher precise prediction in the projectile's velocity, energy absorption mechanism, and failure morphology compared with traditional FEA. This study demonstrated the importance of the strain rate effect of material properties in simulating the ballistic impact on the fabric and dramatically improves the ballistic impact simulation's accuracy on fabric.