Analytical Model Formulation of Steel Plate Reinforced Concrete Walls against Hard Projectile Impact

Steel plate reinforced concrete (SC) walls can effectively resist projectile impact by preventing the rear concrete fragments flying away, thus attracting much attention in defence technology. This work numerically and analytically investigated the hard projectile perforation of steel plate reinforced concrete walls. Impact resistance theories, including cavity expansion analysis as well as the petaling theory of thin steel plates were used to describe the cratering, tunneling and plugging phases of SC walls perforation. Numerical modeling of SC walls perforation was performed to estimate projectile residual velocity and target destructive form, which were validated against the test results. An analytical model for SC wall perforation was established to describe the penetration resistance featuring five stages, i.e., cratering, tunneling and plugging, petaling with plugging and solely petaling. Analytical model predictions matched numerical results well with respect to projectile deceleration evolution as well as residual velocity. From a structural absorbed energy perspective, the effect of front concrete panel and rear steel plate thickness combinations was also studied and analyzed. Finally, equivalent concrete slab thickness was derived with respect to the ballistic limit of SC walls, which may be helpful in the design of a protective strategy.

Study on the influence of structure shape of semi armour piercing warhead on vertical armour piercing efficiency

In order to evaluate the impact of different warhead shapes on the damage efficiency of semi armour piercing warhead effectively, four common semi armour piercing warhead models are established based on Solidworks, and the deck model is established with reference to the deck data of an aircraft carrier. And then the material setting and grid division are carried out based on Ansys so as to construct the explicit dynamic simulation model. The credibility of the model is verified based on the residual velocity theory after the model being established. Finally, based on the established model, the simulation research on the influence of warhead shape on vertical armour piercing ability is carried out. The results show that under the same velocity, the armour piercing ability of sharp oval and conical warheads are better and their residual velocity are higher.

Penetration of Energised Metal Fragments to Porcine Thoracic Tissues

Energised fragments from explosive devices have been the most common mechanism of injury to both military personnel and civilians in recent conflicts and terrorist attacks. Fragments that penetrate into the thoracic cavity are strongly associated with death due to the inherent vulnerability of the underlying structures. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of fragment-simulating projectiles (FSPs) to tissues of the thorax in order to identify the thresholds of impact velocity for perforation through these tissues and the resultant residual velocity of the FSPs. A gas-gun system was used to launch 0.78-g cylindrical and 1.13-g spherical FSPs at intact porcine thoracic tissues from different impact locations. The sternum and rib bones were the most resistant to perforation, followed by the scapula and intercostal muscle. For both FSPs, residual velocity following perforation was linearly proportional to impact velocity. These findings can be used in the development of numerical tools for predicting the medical outcome of explosive events, which in turn can inform the design of public infrastructure, of personal protection, and of medical emergency response.

Predicting the response and perforation of fibre metal laminates subjected to projectile impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to predict the response and perforation of fibre metal laminates (FMLs) subjected to impact by projectiles at different velocities. Design/methodology/approach A finite element (FE) model is constructed in which recently proposed dynamic constitutive models for fibre reinforced plastic (FRP) laminates and metals are used. Moreover, a recently developed dynamic cohesive element constitutive model is also used to simulate the debonding between FRP laminates and metal sheets. The FE model is first validated against the test data for glass laminate aluminum reinforced epoxy (GLARE) both under dropped object loading and ballistic impact, then used to perform a parametric study on the influence of projectile nose shape on the perforation of FMLs. Findings It is found that the present model predicts well the response and perforation of GLARE subjected to impact loading in terms of load-time history, load-displacement curve, residual velocity and failure pattern. It is also found that projectile nose shape has a considerable effect on the perforation of GLARE FMLs and that the ballistic limit is the highest for a flat-ended projectile whilst for a conical-nosed missile the resistance to perforation is the least. Originality/value Recently developed constitutive models for FRPs and metals, together with cohesive element model which considers strain rate effect, are used in the FE model to predict the behaviour of FMLs struck by projectiles in a wider range of impact velocities; the present model is advantageous over such existing models as Johnson-Cook (JC) + Chang-Chang and JC (+BW) + MAT162 in terms of failure pattern though they produce similar results for residual velocity.

Houston Ship Channel Expansion Channel Improvement Project (ECIP) numerical modeling report : BABUS cell and Bird Island analysis

The Houston Ship Channel (HSC) is one of the busiest deep-draft navigation channels in the United States and must be able to accommodate increasing vessel sizes. The US Army Engineer District, Galveston (SWG), requested the Engineer Research and Development Center, Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory, perform hydrodynamic and sediment modeling of proposed modifications in Galveston and Trinity Bays and along the HSC. The modeling results are necessary to provide data for hydrodynamic, salinity, and sediment transport analysis. SWG provided three project alternatives that include closing Rollover Pass, Bay Aquatic Beneficial Use System cells, Bird Islands, and HSC modifications. These alternatives and a Base (existing condition) will be simulated for present (2029) and future (2079) conditions. The results of these alternatives/conditions as compared to the Base are presented in this report. The model shows that the mean salinity varies by 2–3 ppt due to the HSC channel modifications and by approximately 5 ppt in the area of East Bay due to the closure of Rollover Pass. The tidal prism increases by 2.5% to 5% in the alternatives. The tidal amplitudes change by less than 0.01 m. The residual velocity vectors vary in and around areas where project modifications are made.

Theoretical Analysis of Bulletproof Capability of Multilayer Ceramic Composites Subjected to Impact by an Armor Piercing Projectile

Inspired by the theories of Tate and Zaera, a theoretical analysis model including the erosion of the projectile, the cracking of ceramic composites, and the deformation of metal backplate was established in this study to investigate the bulletproof capability of the ceramic composites under impact by an armor piecing projectile (AP). The analysis results were verified by ballistic tests. As for the ceramic composites, the volume of the cracked ceramic conoid and the change in the compressive strength were included. Regarding the deformation of the metal backplate, the plastic deformation work, the external work, and the conservation of kinetics were considered. Based on the thickness of the target plate, failure modes were separated into the plug type and the petal type. The ordinary differential equation solver of MATLAB, ode45, was adopted to solve relevant ordinary differential equations. In this study, the powder metallurgy was used to produce the Al2O3/ZrO2 multilayered ceramic composites of three layers; each layer was 3 mm in thickness. The ceramic composites were paired with a backplate made of 6061-T6 aluminum alloy with a thickness of either 1 mm or 4 mm. The ballistic tests were executed by using 0.30″ AP projectiles to impact the specimens. The results from theoretical model and ballistic tests were compared and shown consistent in the field of residual velocity, residual bullet mass, and the failure modes of the metal backplate.

Effects of spinning on residual velocity of ogive-nosed projectile undergoing ordnance velocity impact

In the present article, finite element analysis (FEA) based simulation on the study of the impact of projectiles having ogive nose shape has been made using ANSYS explicit dynamics. The effects of spinning on the residual velocity of ogive nosed projectile undergoing ordnance velocity impact have been presented. The variations of residual velocity due to different projectile materials and target plate thickness have been evaluated when the projectile is impacted by translational and spinning velocity. The target plates and ogive nosed projectile of a given material are discretized, and a rigorous error and convergence study has been made. Subsequently, the residual velocity of the considered model is evaluated by numerical techniques based on FEA. The results with the optimized meshed model are compared with the analytical results using the penetration theory and found that the results are well compared. Parametric study of the residual velocity has been made with varied ogive nosed materials and target plate thickness when the ogive nosed projectile undergoing ordnance velocity impact. Based on the numerical results, it has been found that the ogive nose projectile having tungsten alloy material is more effective undergoing ordnance velocity impact compared to steel 4340 material. For a given target plate thickness, spinning velocity, and impact velocity, the residual velocity is about 3 percent higher for the projectile made up of tungsten alloy compared to the steel 4340. The effects of the target plate thickness on the residual velocity of the ogive nose projectile do not seem to have much significant effects. It may be due to the simple reason that the ratio of the target plate thickness to projectile diameter is remaining within the intermediate range, i.e. within 1 and 10.