Open Access

ARTICLE

Investigation of Projectile Impact Behaviors of Graphene Aerogel Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations

by Xinyu Zhang¹, Wenjie Xia², Yang Wang^3,4, Liang Wang^1,*, Xiaofeng Liu¹

1 Department of Engineering Mechanics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
2 Department of Aerospace Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
3 School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science & Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
4 Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Groningen, 9747, The Netherlands

* Corresponding Author: Liang Wang. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Computational Design and Modeling of Advanced Composites and Structures)

Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences 2024, 139(3), 3047-3061. https://doi.org/10.32604/cmes.2023.046922

Received 19 October 2023; Accepted 14 December 2023; Issue published 11 March 2024

Abstract

Graphene aerogel (GA), as a novel solid material, has shown great potential in engineering applications due to its unique mechanical properties. In this study, the mechanical performance of GA under high-velocity projectile impacts is thoroughly investigated using full-atomic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The study results show that the porous structure and density are key factors determining the mechanical response of GA under impact loading. Specifically, the impact-induced penetration of the projectile leads to the collapse of the pore structure, causing stretching and subsequent rupture of covalent bonds in graphene sheets. Moreover, the effects of temperature on the mechanical performance of GA have been proven to be minimal, thereby highlighting the mechanical stability of GA over a wide range of temperatures. Finally, the energy absorption density (EAD) and energy absorption efficiency (EAE) metrics are adopted to assess the energy absorption capacity of GA during projectile penetration. The research findings of this work demonstrate the significant potential of GA for energy absorption applications.

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Keywords

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