Ballistic Performance of Kevlar – Shear Thickening Fluid Composite: A Numerical Study

Abstract

Thesis: A Numerical model for yarn level behavior of plain-woven neat Kevlar KM2 fabric aswell as shear thickening fluid(STF)- Kevlar KM2 composites subjected to high-velocityprojectile impact is presented. Experimental investigation results available in the open literatureand other documents are compiled to simulate the constitutive relations and interaction behaviorbetween the yarns. Each yarn of the plain woven fabric system is modeled using a membrane element.This model is first validated for both single-layer and multi-layer systems, with availableexperimental results reported in the literature. Secondly, a fluid-solid composite structure ismodeled using a coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian approach. This proposed method for STF-Kevlarcan be generalized to model a fluid domain interacting with the fabric under high-strain-ratedeformations.