On impacting liquid jets and drops onto polymethylmethacrylate targets

The impact of liquid drops upon polymers is important for several reasons. In particular, in cases of rain erosion after drop impact and of jets formed with cavities collapsing onto surfaces. An experimental study has detailed the evolution of damage within a material during loading. In particular, the temporal development of the pressure fields owing to the passage of stress waves leads to a series of failures in compression and tension from which erosion of the material and reduction in strength results. This work follows from a previous paper in which a methodology was demonstrated by which liquid impact upon liquid masses was modelled. In this paper, the impact response of polymethylmethacrylate is reviewed and its response to impact evaluated. The comparison between jet and drop impact is examined in experiment and simulation. The numerical simulation is validated for jet impact and target response, and future uses of the technique in more complex interactions are suggested.