NUMERICAL SIMULATIONS TO DETERMINE BALLISTIC STRENGTH OF 2-D WOVEN FABRICS

This paper investigates the ballistic strength of 2-D woven fabrics. A fiber-level micro-mechanics method, the digital element approach, is used to simulate the ballistic penetration process through 2-D woven Kevlar KM-2 fabrics. Two fiber strength models are employed: a deterministic fiber strength model and a statistical fiber strength model. In the deterministic simulation, a single deterministic fiber strength, derived from previous single fiber tests, is assigned to all fiber elements. In the statistical simulation, a Monte Carlo process is used to derive the strength of each digital fiber element following a bimodal Weibull distribution function. Based upon the previous experimental results, the fiber is assumed as linear elastic in the longitudinal direction and elasto-plastic in the transverse direction. A spherical projectile strikes fabrics. Residual velocities and V-50 are derived. Numerical results are compared to experimental results.