Numerical study on explosion cutting process of PMMA plate and key factors influence on cutting performance

Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) has been widely utilized to manufacture the covers of aircraft cockpits, naval vessels, car windows and so on, due to their high transmittance, low density, easy processing formability, high corrosion resistance and excellent mechanical properties. Under special conditions such as ejection lifesaving, the PMMA plate needs to be split precisely by explosion cutting technology. Hence, an accurate numerical simulation of PMMA structures is significantly important in engineering application. This paper aims to study the cutting behavior of PMMA plate numerically and investigate the influencing factors on cutting performance of PMMA plates. First of all, the simulation of explosion cutting process of PMMA plate is carried out by a non-linear explicit solver in LS-DYNA software using the fluid-solid coupling method. Jones-Wilkins-Lee (JWL) equation of state is used to simulate the relationship between the transient pressure and specific volume of explosives during explosion. The material model considering failure behaviors is used in the simulation. Additionally, the influence of explosive dosage as well as explosive type on the cutting performance of PMMA plate is investigated. Furthermore, the effect of PMMA geometry size on cutting performance is discussed. This study contributes to the knowledge for the design of PMMA structures which needs explosion cutting and the selection of explosive dosage and explosive type.