Multi-Length Scale Modeling of High-Pressure-Induced Phase Transformations in Soda-Lime Glass

Molecular-level modeling and simulations are employed to study room-temperature micro-structural and mechanical response of soda-lime glass when subjected to high (i.e., several giga-Pascal) uniaxial-strain stresses/pressure. The results obtained revealed the occurrence of an irreversible phase-transformation at ca. 4 GPa which was associated with a (permanent) 3-7% volume reduction. Close examination of molecular-level topology revealed that the pressure-induced phase transformation in question is associated with an increase in the average coordination number of the silicon atoms, and the creation of two- to fourfold (smaller, high packing-density) Si-O rings. The associated loading and unloading axial-stress versus specific-volume isotherms were next converted into the corresponding loading Hugoniot and unloading isentrope axial-stress versus specific-volume relations. These were subsequently used to analyze the role of the pressure-induced phase-transformation/irreversible-densification in mitigating the effects of blast and ballistic impact loading onto a prototypical glass plate used in monolithic and laminated transparent armor applications. The results of this part of the study revealed that pressure-induced phase-transformation can provide several beneficial effects such as lowering of the loading/unloading stress-rates and stresses, shock/release-wave dispersion, and energy absorption associated with the study of phase-transformation.