The Polymer Society of Korea

Abstract

Ballistic protection materials effectively stop projectiles, but the resulting shockwaves can still cause severe behind-armor blunt trauma. While polymers are promising for shock energy dissipation, the role of their microscopic topology remains poorly understood. This study aims to quantitatively investigate the relationship between polymer chain entanglement and shockwave attenuation using molecular dynamics simulations. We utilize the Kremer-Grest coarse-grained model to create polymer melts with systematically varied chain lengths, controlling the entanglement density. Shockwaves are induced using a non-equilibrium piston method. The degree of topological entanglement is quantified. By correlating the entanglement density with the measured shockwave decay, this research seeks to establish a fundamental principle for energy dissipation at the molecular level. The results are expected to guide the rational design of lightweight materials with enhanced shock-mitigating capabilities.