Abstract:

In order to explore the bullet proof mechanism of ceramic/steel composite armor, the ballistic impact experiment was carried out to study the dynamic response of ceramic/steel composite armor subjected to the impact of high speed fragments. The damages of projectile, ceramic and steel back plate were described physically and analyzed phenomenologically. The damage modes of ceramic and steel back plate were determined. The energy transformation during the ballistic penetration and the bullet proof performance of the ceramic/ship steel composite armor were analyzed. The results show that the conical crash is a main damage mode of ceramic under the impact of high speed fragments. And the main macro cracks are radial, ring and conical cracks which extend outward at about 65° angle included between the conical crack and the initial surface normal. Besides there are the inverse conical cracks extended outward at angle of 65° to the back surface normal. The deformation range, destructiveness and damage mode of the back plate have great different from those of ship steel target. The deformation mode of the backing plate is bulgingdishing when the impact velocity is below the ballistic limit. When the impact velocity exceeds the ballistic limit, the back plate has 3 damage modes, i.e. shearing damage, dishing-shearing-petaloid damage and dishingpetaloid damage, as the relative thickness of ceramic increases. In the penetration process of light ceramic/metal composite armor, the kinetic energy of projectile is mainly dissipated in the deformation and damage of projectile and back plate. When the velocity of the penetrator is about ballistic limit, the energy dissipated in projectile and back plate damages varies with the relative thickness of ceramic. But the total energy dissipated in these facets occupies more than 90% of initial kinetic energy of the projectile, and the energy dissipated in the fragmentation of ceramic and the ejecting kinetic energy of ceramic fragments occupies less than 10% of its initial kinetic energy.

Key words: ordnance science and technology, bullet proof mechanism, high speed fragment, ceramic composite armor, energy absorbing