Impact dynamics and failure of brittle solid states by means of nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations

We report on high-speed impact nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations (NEMD) of brittle cohesive materials. A two-dimensional mesoscopic network of particles with a failure threshold is used for capturing the main mesostructural features. We find a good agreement between the initiation and propagation of cracks in our model and the experimental findings in impact experiments with different brittle materials. The failure dynamics in the material as a function of impact speed is discussed for standard load experiments and compared with experimental results.