Formulation and simulation of impact dynamics for multilayer fabrics with various weaves

The high strength, light weight, and flexibility of fabric protection systems makes them the preferred solution for a number of ballistic applications. Examples include body armor, fan blade containment for jet engines, and orbital debris shielding. In general, these protection systems employ plain woven fabric, most suitable for flat or gently curved geometries. Highly curved surfaces, such as personnel extremities, may be more effectively protected using fabrics of different weaves. This dissertation presents the first numerical model developed to simulate ballistic impacts into plain, harness satin, twill, and basket weave fabrics. It extends previous work on hybrid particle-finite element methods developed for fabric modeling. The extended formulation closely replicates the tensile load response and contact-impact dynamics of highly flexible yarns, by generalizing the kinematic model and density interpolation used in previous work. The formulation has been validated in three dimensional simulations of impact experiments conducted to investigate the effects of weave type on fabric ballistic performance.