Influence of Tile Geometry on the Dynamic Fracture of Silicon Carbide (SiC)

Abstract

Ceramic materials have been investigated for use in armor systems for over 40 years. The purpose of this study is to see how different sized ceramic tiles react when struck by a projectile. This study examined the response of 19-mm-thick silicon carbide-X1 (SiC-X1) ceramic tiles that were bonded to 12.7-mm-thick polycarbonate and impacted by 12.7-mm-diameter tungsten carbide (WC) spheres. Three different sized SiC-X1 hexagonal tiles were used: 50-mm flat-to-flat, 75-mm flat-to-flat, and 100-mm flat-to-flat. A light gas gun was used to propel the spheres at a nominal velocity of 440 m/s-1. A high-speed camera was set up to record the back surface of the ceramic and Image-Pro Plus 6.3 was used to analyze the footage from the high-speed camera and quantify failure and fracture of the ceramic as a function of the tile geometry. The 75- and 50-mm flat-to-flat tiles exhibited a 42% and 205% increase in crack density, respectively, over the 100-mm flat-to-flat hexagonal tile baseline.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2014
Accession Number
ADA600350

Entities

People

  • Jacqueline T. Le
  • Shane D. Bartus

Organizations

  • George Washington University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Cameras
  • Carbides
  • Ceramic Materials
  • Compound Semiconductors
  • Diameters
  • Failure Mode And Effect Analysis
  • Gas Guns
  • Geometry
  • Guns
  • High Speed Cameras
  • Light Gas Guns
  • Materials
  • Measurement
  • Projectiles
  • Silicon Carbide
  • Technical Ceramics
  • Tungsten Carbides

Fields of Study

  • Materials science

Readers

  • Aerospace Research.
  • Powder metallurgy of Titanium alloys.
  • ballistics.