Experimental and Numerical Investigation of the Ballistic Response of Alumina 99.7% Covered with Aluminum 6061-T6 Face Sheets

An experimental as well as numerical investigation of the ballistic performance of alumina 99.7% tiles has been explored in this study. A steel 4340 ogive-nosed-shaped projectile was impacted using a gas gun on the composite made of alumina 99.7% tile covered with aluminum face sheets of 0.5 mm from front and backside. It was found that the nature of fragmentation and residual velocity greatly depended on the projectile’s impact velocity. The behavior of alumina 99.7% ceramic is characterized using the Johnson–Holmquist (JH-2) material model which is a preferred model in analyzing the rate-dependent behavior of the brittle materials like alumina 99.7%. The numerical model was validated by comparing it with an experimental quasi-static compression test and dynamic compression test using a split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB). Compared with the experimental results, the numerical results yielded excellent results regarding residual velocity, fragmentation behavior, and crack formations. The numerical simulation was carried out in ANSYS/LSDYNA® code.