Parametric analyses on the impact fracture of laminated glass using the combined finite-discrete element method

Abstract

Laminated glass is composed of glass and interlayer, and it is sensitive to impact actions which usually lead to fracture and fragmentation with high nonlinearity and strong discontinuity. The combined finite-discrete element method (FDEM) has been employed to examine the impact fracture of laminated glass against comprehensive parameters. Following the introduction on the FDEM, verification examples and convergence study are presented. A parametric investigation follows, and the influences of a variety of parameters are addressed. Parameters include impact velocity, glass material properties, interlayer thickness and position, glazing construction, shape and Young’s modulus of projectiles, etc. It is concluded that increasing neither tensile strength nor surface energy of glass would reduce the deformation of laminated glass remarkably, however, strengthening the outer glass is beneficial and meaningful. An optimum thickness of interlayer is found in the range of 11–44% of the total thickness, and laminated glass with multiple interlayers improves its energy absorption and displacement reduction capacities. Projectiles with a larger contact surface would damage laminated glass more seriously. It is also found that soft impact transfers more kinetic energy to the laminated glass than hard impact, while its peak impact force is lower than that of hard impact.