Modeling of Shear Thickening Fluids for Analysis of Energy Absorption Under Impulse Loading

A proposed new method of energy absorption in multilayered plates is to implement shear-thickening fluids between the plate layers to act as a damping mechanism. Research into the implementation of shear thickening fluids (STF) in Kevlar body armor has yielded positive results for ballistic loadings. The objective of this integrated computational materials engineering (ICME) study is to accurately model the behavior of shear thickening fluids using the discrete element method (DEM) to better understand shear-thickening mechanisms and how shear thickening fluids behave under high shear rates experienced during impulse loading. These results are implemented in a reduced order model of a multilayered plate to determine the effect of shear thickening fluids on energy absorption capabilities.