Predictive model for segmented poly(urea)

¹ QinetiQ, Bristol Business Park, Coldharbour Lane, Bristol BS16 1FJ, UK
² QinetiQ, Fort Halstead, Sevenoaks, Kent TN14 7BP, UK

Abstract

Segmented poly(urea) has been shown to be of significant benefit in protecting vehicles from blast and impact and there have been several experimental studies to determine the mechanisms by which this protective function might occur. One suggested route is by mechanical activation of the glass transition. In order to enable design of protective structures using this material a constitutive model and equation of state are needed for numerical simulation hydrocodes. Determination of such a predictive model may also help elucidate the beneficial mechanisms that occur in polyurea during high rate loading. The tool deployed to do this has been Group Interaction Modelling (GIM) – a mean field technique that has been shown to predict the mechanical and physical properties of polymers from their structure alone. The structure of polyurea has been used to characterise the parameters in the GIM scheme without recourse to experimental data and the equation of state and constitutive model predicts response over a wide range of temperatures and strain rates. The shock Hugoniot has been predicted and validated against existing data. Mechanical response in tensile tests has also been predicted and validated.