Impact on Ceramic Targets

Abstract

A series of approximately 150 tests were conducted on ceramic targets struck by cylindro-conical hard-steel projectiles at normal incidence up to velocities of about 1000 m/s. The primary objective was the determination of the effect of layering and the delineation of the ballistic limit of various combinations. In addition, a study of the erosive effect of the ceramic was executed. It was found that, on the basis of areal density, metal plates prefaced by ceramic materials are ballistically more inefficient than purely metallic targets in the low velocity range, while the reverse was found at speeds above 250 m/s. The eroded length was found to be related to the velocity of the projectile and the thickness of the ceramic layer. The projectile displacement data were found to be in very good accord with the results obtained from a previously utilized analytic force history taking into account the erosion process. The energy required to erode the projectile was found to be several orders of magnitude greater than that consumed in the fracture process of the frontal ceramic plate.

Analytical modelling of normal and oblique ballistic impact on ceramic/metal lightweight armours

“…Therefore. the condition for finishing stage one is given by (9) Behaviour ofthc conoid oifraW17cl1tcc/ c(,ramic. When the projectile tip meets the cracking front, the penetration proceeds into a volume of damaged ceramic whose mechanical properties have been reduced.…”

“…It is finished when the projectile tip meets the radial cracking front propagating from the rear face of the tile. Therefore, Eqn (9) is substiLuted by (see Fig. 13 In order to perform the simulations, the proposed Yp and Y co values for the projectiles and ceramics have been estimated from the ones given in Refs [13,15].…”

Modelling of the adhesive layer in mixed ceramic/metal armours subjected to impact

“…The presence of the ceramic tile is important to ensure the ballistic efficiency of the armour, but the ceramic material needs a backing plate to confine the ceramic fragments and to absorb the kinetic energy of the projectile during target penetration. So, for instance [3], an 11.4 mm thick AD85 tile (of 40 kg/m 2 areal density) defeats a 12.70 steel core projectile travelling at 95 m/s, whereas an armour of 6.35 mm thick AD85 tiles backed by a 6.35 mm thick aluminium plate, of the same total areal density as the previous one, defeats the same projectile, but now travelling at 250 m/s.…”

Numerical modeling of the impact behavior of new particulate-loaded composite materials

“…Fig. 7 shows these curves for the experimental data obtained: the residual penetration decreases linearly with the tile areal density, which is characteristic of monolithic ceramic tiles [14,15]. The efficiency of the composite material is midway between that of armor aluminum and monolithic alumina.…”

“…The geometry and the type of the backing plate in a ceramic/metal protection play a large part in determining the behavior on impact of the ceramic tile [14]. The method adopted to examine the behavior of a material without a backing plate is the depth of penetration (DOP) test [15][16][17] in which the material is backed by a metal block and impacted by a projectile.…”