Experimental and numerical analysis of penetration into Kevlar fabric impregnated with shear thickening fluid

Abstract

This study presents the high-velocity impact performance of a composite material composed of woven Kevlar fabric impregnated with a colloidal shear thickening fluids (STFs). Although the precise role of the STF in the high-velocity defeat, process is not exactly known but it is suspected to be due to the increased frictional interaction between yarns in impregnated fabrics. In order to explore the mechanism of this enhanced energy absorption, high-velocity impact test was conducted on neat, impregnated fabric and also on pure STF without fabric. A finite element model has been carried out to consider the effect of STF impregnation on the ballistic performance. For this purpose, fabric was modeled using LS-DYNA by employing the experimental results of yarn pull-out tests to characterize the frictional behavior of the STF impregnated fabric. The simulation result is a proof that the increased performance for STF impregnated Kevlar fabric is due to the increased friction.