Effect of Crystallographic Texture, Retained Austenite, and Austenite Grain Size on the Mechanical and Ballistic Properties of Steel Armor Plates

Abstract

The ballistic performance of a medium-carbon 5Ni-Si-Cu-Mo-V steel processed to plates with various degrees of textures, various amounts of retained austenite, and various austenite grain sizes has been studied. Results show that, with 0.50 caliber projectiles and 0 degree obliquity, the V50 ballistic limit of nearly random-textured plates is around 2030 to 2100 fps (666 to 689 mps), at a hardness of about 53.5 to 54.5 RC. For approximately the same hardness and in-plane mechanical properties, the ballistic limit of strongly (112) + (111) textured plates increased with increasing texture intensity. A ballistic limit of about 2360 fps (774 mps) was observed for the strongest texture produced in plates rolled 80 to 90 percent at 1500 F (815 C) before quenching. With this increased ballistic limit, the tendency for spalling also increased. At a constant strain rate, the spalling resistance appears to correlate qualitatively with the through-thickness notched tensile strength. Tempering quenched plates with a random texture at various high temperatures (1100 to 1300 F or 593 to 704 C) to vary the retained-austenite contents greatly reduced the ballistic limit, primarily because of the lowered hardness. For this range of low hardness and low ballistic limit, the latter increased with increasing retained-austenite contents, but with decreasing hardness.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 01, 1976
Accession Number
ADA029415

Entities

People

  • G. R. Speich
  • Hsun Hu
  • R. L. Miller

Organizations

  • U.S. Steel

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Armor Plate
  • Grain Size
  • High Temperature
  • Materials
  • Mechanical Properties
  • Mechanical Working
  • Mechanics
  • Military Research
  • Phase Transformations
  • Physics Laboratories
  • Resistance
  • Self Assembly
  • Strain Rate
  • Tensile Properties
  • Tensile Strength
  • United States
  • Yield Strength

Fields of Study

  • Materials science

Readers

  • Mathematics or Statistics
  • Metallurgy
  • ballistics.