Three-dimensional modelling on the impact fracture of glass using a GPGPU-parallelised FDEM

Abstract

Due to the brittleness and the wide use of glass in modern engineering applications, its vulnerability to impact actions and the corresponding fracture behaviour attracted growing attentions from academics and engineers. In this study, impact fracture responses of glass have been modelled and simulated using a 3D GPGPU-parallelised hybrid finite-discrete element method, i.e., the FDEM. Glass is discretised into discrete elements where finite element formulation is incorporated, enabling accurate predictions on contact forces and structural deformation. A cohesive fracture model accounting for the rupture of glass is implemented, and numerical examples are presented and validated with results from literatures. The influence of impact velocity, boundary condition and projectile nose shape on the fracture of glass has been investigated. It is found that: (i) fracture pattern changes with the change of velocity; (ii) a rigid boundary support can be used should no damage occur in the edge of glass; (iii) under the same circumstance, a larger contact surface results in more severe damage. The GPGPU-parallelised FDEM provides a practical, efficient and robust computational approach in analysing the impact transient dynamic behaviour of glass in 3D.