Crack arrest and propagation in impact loaded shock resistant PMMA: mesh-free numerical simulation

Abstract

The use of shock resistant RT-PMMA in engineering structures potentially subject to accidental overloading requires an evaluation of its crack arrest capability under impact loading. Based on experimental results obtained from a series of Kalthoff and Winkler (KW)-type impact tests, the present study aims at numerically reproducing the conditions for brittle-like crack initiation and propagation in impact-loaded RT-PMMA. For that purpose, three-dimensional SPH numerical simulations were conducted and the performance of various failure criteria was evaluated. The numerical model together with a combination of stress- and strain- dependent failure criteria were shown to fairly reproduce the experimental results in terms of finite crack advance and orientation.