Numerical Investigation of Transverse Compressive Behaviour of Kevlar Fibre Under Ballistic Impact at the Microscopic Scale

Kevlar woven fabric is a complex structure. Its microstructure is comprised of a lot of yarns consisting of hundreds of fibres. In addition, the experiment of this material is high-cost and very complicated. Thus, the microscopic behaviour has not been well investigated. This paper studies the transverse compressive behaviour of the fabric under ballistic impact at the microscopic scale using a multi-scale numerical model with only six primary yarns within the impact zone that is modelled at the fibre scale. It is highlighted that by this model, the transverse deformation of fibres is observed. Furthermore, the fibre–fibre and fibre–projectile interactions are also described.