ECCOMAS 2024

Piezoresistive Deformation and Damage Sensing in Energetic Material Under Vibration and Impact Loads via Peridynamics

  • Seidel, Gary (Virginia Tech)

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Energetic materials, which include solid rocket fuels and explosives, can undergo changes in their sensitivity and effectiveness due to mesoscale damage events associated with transport and handling. Of particular concern are localized damage events within the mesoscale which decrease sensitivity through the increased probability of hot spot formation. Hot spots are believed to be more likely to form at fracture surfaces, ostensibly due to friction under cyclic loading, and as part of void collapse during impact events. Recent efforts in terms of physical testing and computational modeling have demonstrated the potential for strain and damage sensing in energetic materials through the introduction of carbon nanotubes into the binder phase of the energetic material. Here these demonstrations are extended to include the a range of vibration frequencies and impact loads consistent with shipping and handling. The energetic material studied corresponds to a three phase composite consisting of energetic grain, carbon nanotube enriched polymer binder, and voids. Mesoscale computational domains are constructed from 3D reconstruction of micro-CT images obtained from scans of energetic material samples prior to physical testing. A Thermo-electro-mechanically coupled peridynamics formulation is then used to assess damage initiation and propagation, frictional heating, and the corresponding changes in resistivity associated with deformation and damage at the mesoscale.