Penetration Characteristics of Ceramic/Metal Composite Armor Impacted by Different Projectiles

Ceramic/metal composite armor has been widely employed for lightweight armor protection. Investigating the penetration mechanism of small-caliber projectiles on ceramic/metal composite armor is currently a prominent research focus. Numerous studies have indicated a correlation between the ceramic’s resistance to projectiles and factors such as projectile strength and hardness. To explore the interaction mechanisms between projectiles of different performance and ceramics, we selected four types of projectiles: T12A steel, 35CrMnSiA steel, 45 steel, and 93W. Ballistic tests were conducted alongside finite element analysis using the ABAQUS/Explicit module to validate the accuracy of the model. The ballistic tests and simulation results revealed that T12A and 45 steel projectiles fail through brittle fracture and plastic deformation of the projectile, respectively, while 35CrMnSiA and 93W projectiles were eroded. The projectile penetration process can be divided into three stages, with the primary velocity decay occurring during the first and second stages. The dwell time of projectiles on ceramic surfaces varies depending on their strength/hardness, with longer dwell times resulting in greater kinetic energy dissipation and improved overall protection effectiveness of the composite armor. Additionally, an analysis of the peak stresses generated inside the ceramic due to the impact of these four projectiles on ceramic is conducted, examining their influence on ceramic energy absorption.