A Numerical Study of the Effects of Projectile Properties on the Impact Behavior of Multi-ply Flexible Fabrics

This paper aims to assess how the impact behaviors of multi-ply flexible fabrics change by different projectile impacts using numerical simulations. The paper starts with the generation and verification of a multi-scale finite element model. Subsequently, a ten-ply flexible fabric is numerically subjected to the impacts of six different types of projectiles: 22-caliber conical, spherical, and right circular cylindrical (RCC), as well as 0.30-caliber conical, spherical, and RCC. The remaining sections of the paper explore the ballistic protection behavior of the ten-ply flexible fabric from all aspects, including ballistic limits, changes in energy, displacements, and damage patterns. The research findings suggest that the latter plies of the fabric have significant importance in dissipating energy compared to the initial plies, regardless of the type of projectile impact. This is because the first plies of the fabric tend to fail prematurely and reach their maximum strain limit before they can effectively dissipate energy. Although the initial plies showed consistent trends across all projectiles in terms of energy transfer, the size of the post-damage area and failure modes were influenced by the characteristics of the projectiles. Overall, this research emphasizes the need to explore the ballistic capability of multi-ply flexible woven fabrics impacted by different projectiles to improve both the construction and effectiveness of soft body armor.