RT-PMMA/CFRP High-Velocity Impact Simulation

Rubber-toughened poly(methyl methacrylate) (RT-PMMA) reinforced with carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) is an advanced hybrid material system designed to combine the optical clarity, lightweight characteristics, and strain-rate sensitivity of PMMA with the high specific strength and stiffness of carbon-fiber composites. Such hybrids have growing relevance in engineering applications that demand excellent impact resistance—such as transparent armor systems, aircraft canopies, automotive glazing, and protective structural components—where maintaining structural integrity under high-velocity projectile impact is essential.

In this example, the RT-PMMA is modeled as a three-dimensional solid part, whereas the CFRP composite is represented using shell elements. The high-velocity impact response of RT-PMMA is captured through the elastic–extended Drucker–Prager plasticity model in combination with a ductile damage formulation. For the CFRP material, Hashin’s damage criterion is employed to characterize fiber-related failure modes. An explicit analysis step and the general contact algorithm are included in the input file to ensure that the complete failure behavior of the system is accurately represented.

High-velocity impact simulation of RT-PMMA/CFRP systems presents distinctive modeling challenges due to the coexistence of multiple deformation and failure mechanisms. RT-PMMA exhibits nonlinear viscoelastic–viscoplastic behavior, shear yielding, and cavitation-based toughening arising from dispersed rubber particles. Under ballistic-scale strain rates, its strength and energy-absorption capacity can increase significantly, making accurate constitutive modeling crucial. CFRP, by contrast, is highly anisotropic and brittle, with failure dominated by fiber breakage, matrix cracking, and interlaminar delamination. When bonded together, the hybrid laminate undergoes complex stress wave interactions, interfacial debonding, and progressive damage evolution that strongly influence penetration resistance and residual velocity.

Numerical simulations—commonly performed using finite element codes such as LS-DYNA, Abaqus/Explicit, or AUTODYN—allow researchers to investigate these mechanisms at temporal and spatial scales that are difficult to capture experimentally. State-of-the-art models typically couple rate-dependent polymer constitutive laws (e.g., Johnson–Cook, Cowper–Symonds, Mulliken–Boyce, Drucker–Prager/Cap) with composite damage models (e.g., Hashin, Puck, Chang–Chang, or continuum damage mechanics formulations). Cohesive zone models or traction–separation laws are often employed to represent CFRP/PMMA interface behavior. Simulation frameworks aim to resolve shock propagation, stress wave reflection within the laminate, fracture initiation, and the sequence of failure modes that govern ballistic performance.

Understanding and accurately simulating the high-velocity impact response of RT-PMMA reinforced with CFRP is essential for optimizing laminate architecture, predicting failure thresholds, improving energy-absorption mechanisms, and reducing the need for expensive and time-consuming ballistic testing. As computational modeling and material-level characterization advance, hybrid polymer–composite systems continue to offer promising opportunities for the design of next-generation lightweight protective structures.