Effect of projectile nose shape on ballistic resistance of interstitial-free steel sheets

Abstract

In this paper an experimental and numerical work is reported concerning the process of perforation of thin steel plates using different projectile nose shapes. The main goal is to analyze how the projectile shape may change the ballistic properties of materials. A wide range of impact velocities from 35 to 180 m/s has been covered during the tests. All the projectiles were 13 mm in diameter and the targets were 1 mm thick, as such the projectile can be regarded as rigid and the target sheets were of interstitial-free (IF) steel. The mass ratio (projectile mass/steel sheet mass) and the ratio between the span of the steel sheet and the diameter of the projectile were kept constant, equal to 0.38 and 3.85 respectively. To define the thermoviscoplastic behavior of the target material, the Rusinek-Klepaczko (RK) constitutive model [1] was used. The complete identification of the material constants was done based on a rigorous material characterization. Numerical simulations of some experimental tests were carried out using a non-linear finite element code ABAQUS/Explicit. It was found that the numerical models are able to describe the physical mechanisms in the perforation process with a good accuracy.