Dynamic compression and penetration resistance of ABS and ABS/PC blend

Acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (ABS) and its polycarbonate (PC) blends show broad application prospects in lightweight impact protection, yet their high-velocity penetration resistance and multiscale damage mechanisms under complex impact stress states remain insufficiently understood. This work aims to systematically compare the wide-strain-rate compressive behavior and high-velocity penetration performance of neat ABS and an ABS/PC blend with 30 wt% PC, and to clarify the modulating effect of PC addition on impact resistance and damage evolution. Quasi-static and split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) compression tests are conducted over strain rates of 0.001–4500 s −1 , and high-velocity penetration tests are performed using 1–3 mm diameter 304 stainless steel spherical projectiles at velocities of 150–450 m s −1 . High-speed photography, three-dimensional laser scanning, and scanning electron microscopy are employed to characterize impact processes, crater geometries, and post-mortem damage, and an analytical model based on linear resistance law is established to predict penetration depth. Both materials exhibit pronounced bilinear strain-rate strengthening. ABS/PC shows higher quasi-static yield strength (73–80 vs. 61–77 MPa for ABS) and stronger post-yield hardening, while their dynamic yield stresses are comparable. Under matched impact conditions, ABS/PC consistently yields shallower craters and higher strength-related resistance coefficient, with its damage mode shifting from diffuse rubber cavitation and microcracking to localized macroscopic cracking and plastic tearing. PC incorporation enhances the load-bearing capacity and penetration resistance of ABS, and the correlation between rate-dependent strength and penetration behavior provides guidance for polymer protective structure design.