Impact Resistance and Failure Analysis of Plain Woven Curtains

Abstract

Blast and impact-resistant curtains are increasingly utilized for various applications in critical infrastructures to retrofit or enhance energy absorption and fragments capturing capabilities. Investigation of the impact resistance and failure mechanisms of the protective curtains are therefore critical. Understanding the energy absorption and failure mechanisms of fabrics impacted by potential debris of medium to low striking speeds could thus lead to improvements in designing spall linings system as well as bullet-proof combat uniforms against fragmentations. This paper aims at investigating the deformation and damage mechanisms of woven fabrics subjected to low velocity impact. Gas-gun experiments are conducted to investigate the ballistic resistance of the fabrics. A mesoscale modelling approach is developed and validated with the experiment to simulate the ballistic events for various projectile striking velocities ranging between 50–150 m/s. Parametric studies and comparisons are then carried out to examine the primary energy components: strain, kinetic, and friction energy, and their associated distribution within the fabric. The decoupling of the energy absorbed by the fabric provides an insight into the interaction of the yarns, as well as the significance of the energy components during the different stages of the impact event. The studies suggest the importance of the inter-yarn friction in a low speed impact scenario.