Study of Damage Mechanics and Material Response of Impact on Composite Armor by Multiscale Modeling and Testing
Abstract
Overview: The ballistic impact on a composite armor used in military applications involves complex penetration mechanisms, requiring a complete quantitative analysis for better understanding and improved design. Parameters such as material properties, impact methodology, ballistic target compositions and arrangement, ballistic target and projectile conditions, etc., which affect the impact behaviors of ballistic materials should be properly identified. Despite significant effort in the past couple of decades by various researchers, predicting damage initiation and evolution in composite armor remains a difficult task since it involves coupled nonlinear processes accumulated at multiple scales. The research goal is to increase the fundamental knowledge and understanding in impact damage mechanisms on composite panels and armor systems, involving multiscale modeling, development and testing new material systems for better damage tolerance. The educational goal is to build a platform to engage students in understanding the importance of composite armor research and inspire them to pursue careers in defense-related fields. The objectives are to (i) understand composite armorÕs material response and damage mechanics to ballistic impact through multiscale modeling and testing, (ii) determine the initiation of matrix cracking, ceramic fracture, fiber breakage and the corresponding impact load; (iii) determine the extent of deformation and delamination as a function of the applied impact load; (iv) determine contact and bond information associated with delamination growth; and (v) find areal density and absorbed energy of armor samples. The research questions will be addressed: (i) How do armor material systems respond to impact? (ii) How can we improve material response to impact? (iii) How do armored material systems absorb the kinetic energy during impact? (iv) How can we improve the energy absorption capability of the materials? (v) How do materials fail or undergo damage during impact? (vi)) How to break or deform the penetrator tip to slow it down? The answers to these questions are very important to design the next generation armor needed to resist ballistic threats our military faces around the world. The research tasks are to: (i) Perform molecular dynamic (MD) simulation to find impact response and mechanical properties of materials used in ballistic armor; (ii) Validate the MD model results using micropillar testing; (iii) Micro and macro modeling of ballistic impact on composite panel and armor to find the damage mechanisms and ballistic performance; and (iv) Experimental testing to validate the simulation results of micro and macro modeling. Intellectual Merit: Understanding the basics of impact and material response to impact is very important to develop next generation armor needed to resist new ballistic threats. technological advances result in development of new types of weapons. Hence, there is a need to develop new armors for military applications to resist high ballistic threat, which the proposed work aims to do. This work will greatly enhance the ballistic resistance of armor at a significantly reduced weight and provide better protection to the military personnel while providing a deep insight into the material science of many emerging materials. Broader Impact: The proposed research will increase the fundamental knowledge of the ballistic performance of composite armor material from current state. It will help to design the armor resisting high level ballistic threats. This project will enhance the understanding of impact properties of several emerging ballistic materials, including new ballistic ceramics and advanced fiber reinforced composites. The understanding of these properties will not only assist their deployment in the proposed armor system, but also promote their application in other defense related fields. The skills and knowledge of current and future undergraduate and graduate students will be enh
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- May 24, 2023
- Source ID
- W911NF2310175
Entities
People
- Shah Alam
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- Office of the Secretary of Defense
- Texas A&M University–Kingsville