Influence of Resin Distribution Within <scp>UHMWPE</scp> Panels on Adhesion Strength and Ballistic Responses

ABSTRACT This study investigated the influence mechanisms of resin distribution on ballistic responses of Ultra‐high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) panels through experimental tests and finite‐element (FE) simulations. UHMWPE laminates and rigid panels were fabricated with resin mass ratios of 10, 20, 25 and 30 wt% to obtain different resin distribution states. At 20 wt%, the laminate exhibited uniform resin distribution and equal intralaminar and interlaminar adhesion strengths, resulting in a 9.0%–12.4% improvement in ballistic energy dissipation compared with the other specimens. Ballistic tests and FE results showed that PE 20 produced larger transverse deformations and more extensive delaminations than the other panels. Thanks to fiber‐bundle modeling, different resin distribution states were successfully simulated. FE results confirmed that the uniform resin distribution was beneficial for stress propagation. The stress distribution area in the PE20 was increased by 9.15% and 4.59% compared with PE15 and PE30, respectively. This indicated that uniform resin distribution with appropriate adhesion can mobilize a greater proportion of fiber materials to sustain high stress, thereby leading to optimum material utilization efficiency and enhancing energy dissipation. These findings are valuable for optimizing the manufacturing process of ballistic UHMWPE composite panels.