Comprehensive molecular dynamics studies of the ballistic resistance of multilayer graphene-polymer composite

Abstract

Unlike most existing works, where the focus has been to study the ballistic performance of single and multilayer graphene sheets, our research is concerned with the ballistic behaviour of multilayer graphene polymer composite (MGPC). Specifically, the graphene membranes are embedded in polyethylene at varied depth and subjected to impingement by spherical projectiles traveling at varied translational velocities and impact angles. We conducted unique molecular dynamics experiments to predict the atomistic energy dissipation mechanisms of MGPC accounting for projectile spin. Three aspects of the study were considered: (i) examined the ballistic impact resistance of various MGPCs, (ii) established the energy dissipation mechanisms under supersonic impact, and (iii) determined the influence of projectile spin and impact angle on the ballistic resistance of MGPC. Our results reveal that a single layer of graphene membrane improves the ballistic impact resistance of polyethylene by over eight folds. Moreover, depending on the projectile velocity and the graphene arrangement, three distinct energy dissipation mechanisms were observed. The study further reveals that the spin of the projectile remarkably reduces the reactive force experienced by the projectile. These results provide novel insights into the energy dissipation mechanisms at the atomic scale.