Modelling hypervelocity impact fracture of ceramic panels using a mesh-free method

Abstract

This paper studies the application of Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) for modelling hyper-velocity impact fracture and fragmentation in ceramic panels. Numerical modelling of complex fracture processes is important to understand the fundamental failure mechanisms in a variety of systems. Finite Element Method (FEM) is the mesh-based method conventionally applied to numerical simulation of fracture and fragmentation. However, the mesh generation and manipulation do not often provide the desired accuracy of the solutions, especially in problems with extreme deformations and discontinuities. To overcome this, here we use a mesh-free method called Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamic (SPH) to investigate the three-dimensional fracture of ceramic panels. The effect of impact speed on the fracture pattern and energy transfer is analysed. The SPH simulations are found to be robust in understanding the fracture mechanisms and in providing crucial design parameters.