Three-dimensional printing is becoming increasingly popular because of its extensive applicability. However, printing materials remain limited. To determine the mechanical properties of polylactic acid (PLA) and copper powder-filled polylactic acid (PLA-Cu) materials subjected to static and dynamic loading, stress–strain curves were obtained under the conditions of different strain rates using a universal material testing machine and a separated Hopkinson pressure bar experimental device. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to analyze the micro-morphology of the quasi-static compression fracture and dynamic impact sections. The results revealed that the yield stress and elastic modulus of the two materials increased with increasing strain rate. When the strain rate reached a critical point of 0.033 s−1, the rate of crack propagation in the PLA samples increased, resulting in the material undergoing a change from ductile to brittle. The strength of the material subjected to dynamic loading was significantly higher than that subjected to quasi-static loading. The SEM image of the PLA-Cu material revealed that copper powder was evenly distributed throughout the 3D-printed sample and that stress initially began to concentrate at the defect site corresponding to the interface between the copper powder and PLA matrix; this resulted in comparatively lower toughness. This finding was consistent with the photographs captured via high-speed photography, which confirmed that the destruction of the specimen was accompanied by an explosive crushing process. Additionally, a Zhu–Wang–Tang constitutive model was used to fit the experimental results and establish a viscoelastic constitutive model of the material. By comparing the dynamic stress–strain curve to the theoretically predicted curve, we found that the established constitutive model could predict the mechanical properties of the PLA-Cu material with reasonable accuracy when the strain was below 7%.
In order to improve the research and development efficiency and quality of low-density liners in production and scientific research development, PLA and PLA-Cu composite liners were prepared based on 3D-printing technology. In this paper, the relationship between the shock wave velocity D and the particle velocity u of PLA and PLA-Cu materials was tested by a one-stage light gas gun experiment device, and then the Grüneisen equation of state parameters of the two materials was obtained by fitting. The forming process of the two jets was numerically simulated by using the equation of state. When combined with the pulsed X-ray shooting results of the jets, it was found that the jets of the two materials showed obvious characteristics of “expansion particle flow”, and the head of the PLA jet had a gasification phenomenon. The length of the PLA jet at 20 μs in the numerical simulation was 127.2 mm, and the average length of the PLA jet at 20 μs in the pulsed X-ray shooting experiment was 100.45 mm. The length of the PLA jet gasification part accounted for about 21% of the total length of the jet. The average velocity of the head of the PLA jet is 7798.35 m/s, and the average velocity of the head of the PLA-Cu jet is 8104.25 m/s. In this paper, 3D-printing technology is used to prepare the liner for the first time, aiming to open up a new preparation technology and provide a new material selection for low-density material liners.
To elucidate the physicochemical mechanisms underlying the violent explosion triggered by nylon (PA) jet penetration into explosive reactive armor, the thermal decomposition behavior of RDX and the influence mechanism of PA on its thermal reaction were studied by reaction molecular dynamics simulation and quantum chemical calculation, which were compared with experimental research. The study reveals that the decomposition of RDX is primarily initiated through pathways such as N–NO2 homolysis, HONO elimination, and concerted ring-opening. The addition of PA reduces the energy barrier for N–N bond homolysis and provides hydrogen atoms to initiate HONO elimination via a heterogeneous pathway with a lower energy barrier, thereby promoting the initial decomposition of RDX. The free radicals produced by the decomposition of PA and RDX participate in a synergistic reaction, efficiently yielding stable products and significantly altering the distribution of intermediate species. The introduction of PA lowers the activation energy barrier for RDX decomposition and supplies hydrocarbon fragments as fuel for the reaction, facilitating rapid decomposition and initiation. This work clarifies the dual mechanism by which PA promotes RDX detonation from the perspective of microscopic reaction kinetics, providing theoretical insights for understanding and modulating the response of explosives under complex impact conditions.