This paper is investigating the use of composite armour reinforced by nanomaterials, for the protection of light armoured (LAV) and medium armoured military vehicles (MAV), and the interaction ...between the composite materials and high-performance ballistic projectiles. Four armour materials, consisted of front hybrid fibre reinforced polymer cover layer, ceramic strike-face, fibre reinforced polymer intermediate layer and the metal matrix composite reinforced backplate, were manufactured and assembled by adhesive technology. The proposed laminated protection system is suitable for armoured ground vehicles; however, it could be used as armour on ground, air and naval platforms. The design of the protection system, including material selection and thickness, was elaborated depending on the performance requirements of Level 4 ＋ STANAG 4569 military standard (projectile 14.5 mm × 114 mm API B32) and especially on a design philosophy which is analysed with the specifications. The backplate of this new composite is a hybrid material of Metal Matrix Composite (MMC) reinforced with carbon nanotubes (CNTs), manufactured with the use of powder metallurgy technique. The composite backplate material was morphologically, mechanically and chemically analysed. Results show that all plates are presenting high mechanical properties and ballistic characteristics, compared to commonly used armour plates. Real military ballistic tests according to AEP - STANAG 4569 were carried out for the total composite armour systems. After the ballistic tests, AA2024-CNT3 showed the best protection results, compared with the other plates (AA2024-CNT1 and AA2024-CNT2), with the projectile being unable to fully penetrate the composite plate.
In recent years, the interest of the scientific community in perforated plates for ballistic protection has increased. Perforated plates do not represent protection by themselves, rather, they are ...used in the armour systems of armoured vehicles, in conjunction with base armour, since they are intended to induce bend stresses, where a penetrating core fracture occurs. The fragments are subsequently stopped by base armoured vehicle armour. Although for the first time used several decades ago, perforated plates are found to be attractive even today. The main reason is the combination of very convenient properties. Besides high mass effectiveness, they possess a high multi-impact resistance, since their perforations arrest cracks. Therefore, a relatively wide array of materials is suitable for perforated plate fabrication, ranging from alloy steel to some types of cast iron. Being made of metallic materials, raw material costs are relatively low compared to ceramics or composite materials, making them very attractive for present and future armoured vehicles. Finally, armour system consisting of a perforated plate and base plate at some distance, reduce the effectiveness of both shaped charge jets and act as blast mitigators.
With the advancements in the warfare technology, there is a need to have an equal armour protection to help the law enforcement agencies. Since the experimentation is expensive and time consuming and ...involves various constraints, the finite element codes are an alternative that can predict the projectile impact phenomena. Silicon Carbide is a ceramic known to perform well against projectile penetration. This study is based on investigation of the behaviour of Silicon Carbide of varied thicknesses against a 12.7 mm AP tracer projectile using numerical simulations.
This study presents a new methodology for designing, manufacturing, and testing advanced armor protection systems and applied to the development of three different protection solutions suitable for ...real armored vehicles. The backplate laminates of the presented composite armor protection solutions were composed of three different materials: steel, aluminum AA6082, and aluminum alloy AA2024 reinforced by multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The frontal laminates remained the same for the three cases. Keeping almost the same mass while changing the material of each backplate and adapting the thickness, the three different protection systems were ballistically tested and compared according to Level 4 (Level IV) of the standard AEP-STANAG 4569 (projectile 14.5 mm × 114 mm API B32) with real military tests. Furthermore, the performance of the total laminated structure and the performance of each backplate in the total laminated structure were compared in terms of deformation and ballistic fractures. High-quality images acquired by the high-speed camera were helpful in evaluating and comparing the backplates and the entire protection system. The results show that all three protection configurations present high performance mechanical properties and ballistic characteristics compared to commonly used armor systems. Even the under-developed AA2024-CNTs composite is a promising near-term backplate solution.
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The present study highlights the critical review of several parameters that will affect the ballistic behavior of textile composites. Initially, the paper focusses on the projectile parameters and ...how its influence will change the overall behavior. Secondly, the effect of the target plate on the overall energy absorption, which is controlled by its material as well as architectures. The further review summarizes the gaps which are still needed to be covered.
The purpose of this study was to clarify whether or not body armor would protect the body of a swine model using a blast tube built at National Defense Medical College, which is the first such blast ...tube in Japan. Seventeen pigs were divided into two groups: the body armor group and the non-body armor group. Under intravenous anesthesia, the pigs were tightly fixed in the left lateral position on a table and exposed from the back neck to the upper lumbar back to the blast wave and wind with or without body armor, with the driving pressure of the blast tube set to 3.0 MPa. When the surviving and dead pigs were compared, blood gas analyses revealed significant differences in PaO2, PaCO2, and pH in the super-early phase. All pigs injured by the blast wave and wind had lung hemorrhage. All 6 animals in the body armor group and 6 of the 11 animals in the control group survived for 3 hours after injury. Respiratory arrest immediately after exposure to the blast wave was considered to influence the mortality in our pig model. Body armor may have a beneficial effect in protecting against respiratory arrest immediately after an explosion.
The mechanical and thermo-mechanical damage mechanisms of a multi-layer woven polymeric fabric ballistic body armor are analyzed. A proposed two-stage model takes into account the wave interaction ...between an impacting element and an armor package at the initial stage of the collision. The model allows the prediction of initial fabric compaction and the estimation of velocities and displacements. These can then be used to predict the response of a layered flexible barrier and the contribution of stresses and frictional forces in causing permanent deformation.
A new layered heterostructure composite material system (TC4 as front layer and 2024Al alloy as back layer) was developed and analyzed for its design and performance in terms of an enhanced ...absorption capability and anti-penetration behavior. The Florence model for energy absorption was modified, so that it can be utilized for the layered heterostructure composite material system with more efficacy. Numerical simulation through Ls-Dyna validated the analytical model findings regarding the energy absorption of the system and both were in good agreement. Results showed that two ductile materials with diverse properties, the hardness gradient and varied layer thickness joined together, specifically behaved like a unified structure and exhibited elastic collision after slight bending, which is possibly due to the decreased yield strength of the front layer and increased yield strength of the second layer. To validate the analytical and numerical findings, the samples of the layered heterostructure composite material system were subjected to a SHPB (Split Hopkinson pressure bar) compression test. The deformation behavior was analyzed in the context of the strain energy density and stain rate sensitivity parameter at different strain rates. The encouraging results proposed that two ductile materials with a hardness gradient can be used as an alternate structure instead of a brittle-ductile combination in a layered structure.
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