Stress Propagation in a Hierarchical Energy Dissipating Composite Based on NPSL

Developing advanced energy absorption materials and structures is of both fundamental scientific interest and great technological importance. In this study, we investigate the energy absorption capability of a new composite material under impact loading by using ANSYS and LS-DYNA. This new composite is composed of polymeric matrix and Nanoporous Particle Suspended Liquid (NPSL) fillers. NPSL fillers are embedded in a polymeric matrix to form a composite protective layer on a rigid substrate. A numerical method based on the PLANE162 finite element scheme has been developed specifically to investigate the effects of the various material parameters on the energy absorption efficiency provided by the NPSL-based composite. Among these parameters, activation pressure is at the NPSL level, while filler diameter and spacing are at the composite level. All these parameters show pronounced effects on the mechanical properties of the composite, and they can be engineered by fine-tuning the processing techniques.Copyright © 2015 by ASME