Development of cost effective personnel armour through structural hybridization

The objective of the present study is to develop cost effective thermoplastic hybrid laminate using Dyneema® HB50 and Tensylon®HSBD 30A through structural hybridization method. Laminates having 20 mm thickness were fabricated and subjected to 7.62 × 39 mm mild steel core projectile with an impact velocity of 730 ± 10 ms⁻¹. Parameters such as energy absorption, back face deformation and rate of back face deformation were measured as a function of hybridization ratio. It was observed that hybrid laminate with 50:50 ratio (w/w) of Tensylon® and Dyneema® with Tensylon® as front face showed 200% more energy absorption when compared to 100% Tensylon® laminate and showed equal energy absorption as that of expensive 100% Dyneema® laminate. Moreover, hybrid laminate with TD50:50 ratio showed 40% lower in terms of final back face deformation than Dyneema® laminate. Rate of back face deformation was also found to be slow for hybrid laminate as compared to Dyneema® laminate. Dynamic mechanical analysis showed that, Tensylon® laminate has got higher stiffness and lower damping factor than Dyneema® and hybrid laminates. The interface between Tensylon® and Dyneema® layers was found to be separating during the penetration process due to the poor interfacial bonding. Failure behaviour of laminates for different hybridization ratios were studied by sectioning the impacted laminates. It was observed that, the Tensylon® laminate has undergone shear cutting of fibers as major failure mode whereas the hybrid laminate showed shear cutting followed by tensile stretching, fiber pull out and delamination. These inputs are highly useful for body armour applications to design cost effective armour with enhanced performance.     

The deformation and failure mechanism of cylindrical shell and square plate with pre-formed holes under blast loading

The deformation and failure mechanism of cylindrical shells and square plate with pre-formed holes under blast loading were investigated numerically by employing the Ansys 17.0 and Ls-Dyna 971. To calibrate the numerical model, the experiments of square plates with pre-formed circle holes were modeled and the numerical results have a good agreement with the experiment data. The calibrated numerical model was used to study the deformation and failure mechanism of cylindrical shells with pre-formed circle holes subjected to blast loading. The structure response and stress field changing process has been divided into four specific stages and the deformation mechanism has been discussed systematically. The local and global deformation curves, degree of damage, change of stress status and failure modes of cylindrical shell and square plate with pre-formed circular holes are obtained, compared and analyzed, it can be concluded as: (1) The transition of tensile stress fields is due to the geometrical characteristic of pre-formed holes and cylindrical shell with arch configuration; (2) The existence of pre-formed holes not only lead to the increasing of stress concentration around the holes, but also release the stress concentration during whole response process; (3) There are three and two kinds of failure modes for square plate and cylindrical shell with pre-formed holes, respectively. and the standoff distance has a key influence on the forming location of the crack initiating point and the locus of crack propagation; (4) The square plate with pre-formed holes has a better performance than cylindrical shell on blast-resistant capability at a smaller standoff distance, while the influence of pre-formed holes on the reduction of blast-resistant capability of square plate is bigger than that of cylindrical shell.     

Performance study of jute-epoxy composites/sandwiches under normal ballistic impact

This study is undertaken to explore the use of natural fiber Jute-epoxy (JE), Jute-epoxy-rubber (JRE) sandwich composite for ballistic energy absorption. Energy absorbed and residual velocities for these composites are evaluated analytically and through Finite Element Analysis (FEA). FE analysis of JE plates is carried out for different thicknesses (3, 5, 10 and 15 mm). JE plates and JRE sandwiches having the same thickness (15 mm) are fabricated and tested to measure residual velocity and energy absorbed. The analytical results are found to agree well with the results of FE analysis with a maximum error of 9%. The study on JE composite plate reveals that thickness influences the energy absorption. Experimental and FE analysis study showed that JRE sandwiches have better energy absorption than JE plates. Energy absorption of a JRE sandwich is about 71% greater than JE plates. Damages obtained from FEA and testing are in good agreement. SEM analysis confirms composites failed by fiber rupture and fragmentation.     

基于Lyapunov法和势场法的对峙跟踪研究

现有的基于Lyapunov导航向量场算法的对峙跟踪研究中尚未有考虑避障要求的。针对单架无人机对峙跟踪单个移动目标,通过Lyapunov导航向量场法使无人机对目标对峙跟踪。在遇到障碍时,通过距离控制,切换为使用势场法避开障碍区域。在满足一定的距离条件后,通过角度控制,恢复对峙跟踪方式,从而使无人机在对峙跟踪时可以避开障碍区域。仿真结果表明,不管是在单障碍的条件下还是多障碍的条件下,该方法能使无人机有效地避开障碍区域完成跟踪任务。     

铝合金-纯铝-钢复合板爆炸焊接试验及性能研究

通过设计爆炸焊接试验复合了铝合金-纯铝-钢爆炸复合板,对其界面形态、显微硬度及力学性能进行了研究。结果表明,铝合金-纯铝界面纯规则正弦波形,纯铝-钢复合板界面波形较小,铝合金-纯铝-钢复合板的界面剪切强度在75 MPa以上,爆炸复合过程中,纯铝与钢界面生成了金属间化合物,其界面处基体金属发生强烈的塑性变形。复合板变形及组织变化的结果造成复合板界面处的显微硬度最高,随着距界面距离的增加,两侧基体金属的硬度逐渐降低。     

Polyurea coating for foamed concrete panel: An efficient way to resist explosion

Autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) panels have ultra-light weight, excellent thermal insulation and energy absorption, so it is an ideal building material for protective structures. To improve the blast resistance of the AAC panels, three schemes are applied to strengthen the AAC panels through spraying 4 mm thick polyurea coating from top, bottom and double-sides. In three-point bending tests, the polyurea-coated AAC panels have much higher ultimate loads than the un-coated panels, but slightly lower than those strengthened by the carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRPs). Close-in explosion experiments reveal the dynamic strengthening effect of the polyurea coating. Critical scaled distances of the strengthened AAC panels are acquired, which are valuable for the engineering application of the AAC panels in the extreme loading conditions. Polyurea coatings efficiently enhance the blast resistance of the bottom and double-sided polyurea-coated AAC panels. It is interesting that the polyurea-coated AAC panels have much more excellent blast resistance than the CFRP reinforced AAC panels, although the latter have better static mechanical properties.     

Effect of wave shaper on reactive materials jet formation and its penetration performance

Wave shaper effect on formation behavior and penetration performance of reactive liner shaped charge (RLSC) are investigated by experiments and simulations. The reactive materials liner with a density of 2.3 g/cm³ is fabricated by cold pressing at a pressure of 300 MPa and sintering at a temperature of 380 °C. Experiments of the RLSC with and without wave shaper against steel plates are carried out at standoffs of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 CD (charge diameter), respectively. The experimental results show that the penetration depths and structural damage effects of steel plates decrease with increasing the standoff, while the penetration depths and the damage effects of RLSC without wave shaper are much greater than that with wave shaper at the same standoff. To understand the unusual experimental results, numerical simulations based on AUTODYN-2D code are conducted to discuss the wave shaper effect, including the propagation behavior of detonation wave, the velocity and temperature distribution of reactive jet, and penetration depth of reactive jet. The simulations indicate that, compared with RLSC without wave shaper, there is a higher temperature produced inside reactive jet with wave shaper. This unusual temperature rise effects are likely to be an important mechanism to cause the initiation delay time of reactive jet to decline, which results in significantly decreasing its penetration performance.     

钢质管道挤压变形实验研究与结果分析

野外埋地敷设的长距离输油管道发生断裂等较大破坏时,采用管道局部挤压的方式,在较短时间内将管道快速压扁以截断流油。为了设计管道挤压截流装置,使用18 mm宽度的压头对?325 mm×6 mm的X60钢管进行挤压变形实验,得到了管道挤压的载荷-位移曲线、管道的变形范围、管道压扁后的回弹情况和挤压过程中的塑性载荷等数据,并验证了管道挤压过程中的安全性。通过实验,不仅可以研究管道塑性破坏后的变形规律,而且为管道泄漏抢修提供了理论和实践参考。     

Damage visualization and deformation measurement in glass laminates during projectile penetration

Transparent armor consists of glass-polymer laminates in most cases. The formation and propagation of damage in the different glass layers has a strong influence on the ballistic resistance of such laminates. In order to clarify the course of events during projectile penetration, an experimental technique was developed, which allows visualizing the onset and propagation of damage in each single layer of the laminate. A telecentric objective lens was used together with a microsecond video camera that allows recording 100 frames at a maximum rate of 1 MHz in a backlit photography set-up. With this technique, the damage evolution could be visualized in glass laminates consisting of four glass layers with lateral dimensions 500 mm × 500 mm. Damage evolution was recorded during penetration of 7.62 mm AP projectiles with tungsten carbide core and a total mass of 11.1 g in the impact velocity range from 800 to 880 m/s. In order to measure the deformation of single glass plates within the laminates, a piece of reflecting tape was attached to the corresponding glass plate, and photonic Doppler velocimetry (PDV) was applied. With the photonic Doppler velocimeter, an infrared laser is used to illuminate an object to be measured and the Doppler-shifted light is superimposed to a reference light beam at the detector. The simultaneous visualization and PDV measurement of the glass deformation allow determining the deformation at the time of the onset of fracture. The analysis of the experimental data was supported by numerical simulations, using the AUTODYN commercial hydro-code.     

Resistance of grid steel-tube-confined concrete targets against projectile impact: Experimental investigation and analytical engineering model

Steel-tube-confined concrete (STCC) targets are provided with excellent anti-penetration performance over semi-infinite concrete (SIC) targets since the steel tube imposes passive restraint on the in-filled concrete during the penetration process. Grid STCC system with square steel tubes is a potential solution to protective structures. In this paper, experiments of 9-cell grid STCC targets penetrated by 12.7 mm Armor Piercing Projectile (APP) were performed. The influence of side length and thickness of steel tube, steel ratio and impact velocity on anti-penetration performance were taken into account. Additionally, single-cell square STCC targets were also designed and tested for comparison with the 9-cell grid STCC targets. Damage modes and parameters of the tested targets were measured and discussed. Moreover, the stiffness of radial confinement of grid STCC targets is achieved according to the elastic solution of infinite cylindrical shell in Winkler medium. Furthermore, the penetration resistance and depth of penetration (DOP) for grid STCC targets are obtained on the basis of the dynamic finite spherical cavity-expansion (FSCE) models including radial confinement effect. It is shown that the 9-cell grid STCC targets with optimal dimension match of thickness and side length of steel tube can reduce the DOP by about 17 % and 23 % in comparison with the SIC targets and single-cell square STCC targets, respectively, due to both the confinement of square steel tube to concrete in the impacted cell and the additional confinement of the surrounding cells to the impacted cell; the penetration resistance and DOP of the grid and cellular STCC targets with similar steel ratio is close, and thus the grid STCC targets with simpler manufacturing process and excellent in-plane expandability are preferred in engineering practice; moreover, the predicted results of DOP model based on the FSCE models agree well with the tested results with the maximum disparity less than 12 % and the proposed model is more applicable to the grid and cellular STCC targets with high radial confinement.     

The surface activation of boron to improve ignition and combustion characteristic

Boron is a very promising and highly attractive fuel because of high calorific value. However, the practical applications in explosives and propellants of boron have been limited by long ignition delay time and low combustion efficiency. Herein, nano-Al and graphene fluoride (GF) as surface activated materials are employed to coat boron (B) particles to improve ignition and combustion performance. The reaction heat of nano-Al coated B/KNO₃ and GF coated B/KNO₃ are 1116.83 J/g and 862.69 J/g, respectively, which are higher than that of pure B/KNO₃ (823.39 J/g). The ignition delay time of B/KNO₃ could be reduced through nano-Al coating. The shortest ignition delay time is only 75 ms for B coated with nano-Al of 8 wt%, which is much shorter than that of pure B/KNO₃ (109 ms). However, the ignition delay time of B/KNO₃ coated with GF has been increased from 109 to 187 ms. B coated with GF and nano-Al shown significantly influence on the pressure output and flame structure of B/KNO₃. Furthermore, the effects of B/O ratios on the pressure output and ignition delay time have been further fully studied. For B/KNO₃ coated with nano-Al and GF, the highest pressures are 88 KPa and 59 KPa for B/O ratio of 4:6, and the minimum ignition delay time are 94 ms and 148 ms for B/O ratio of 7:3. Based on the above results, the reaction process of boron coated with GF and nano-Al has been proposed to understand combustion mechanism.     

30mm半穿甲弹斜侵彻陶瓷/钢复合装甲的弹着角效应研究

设计了30mm半穿甲弹斜侵彻陶瓷/钢复合靶的弹道试验,采用高速摄像记录了弹靶作用过程,研究了弹着角、弹丸位移以及背板变形挠度的图像测量方法,通过仿真验证了该方法的可行性与准确性.基于高速摄像序列图像对弹靶作用过程进行了测量分析,结合试验数据研究了弹着角对半穿甲弹侵彻效能的影响.结果表明:弹着角导致弹丸受靶板的不对称阻力作用,侧向力及侧向力矩使得弹丸在侵彻过程中不断偏转,表现为侵彻路径呈曲线;在相同速度条件下,随着弹着角的增大,侵靶时间延长,背板变形挠度减小,侵彻效能降低.     

径向载荷作用下管道挤压变形过程数值模拟

野外埋地敷设的长距离输油管道发生断裂等较大事故时,采用管道局部挤压的方式可以在较短时间内将管道快速压扁以截断流油。为设计管道挤压截流装置,运用ANSYS Workbench建立上下压头加载作用下管道挤压的有限元模型,完成对ф159 mm×5 mm的45号钢挤压变形模拟仿真,得到管道挤压的等效应力、位移分布、变形范围和载荷-位移曲线等。将模拟数据与实验数据进行对比,两者结果比较吻合,可以为管道泄漏抢修提供理论和实践参考。     

Deconsolidation and combustion performance of thermally consolidated propellants deterred by multi-layers coating

Both heating and solvent-spray methods are used to consolidate the standard grains of double-base oblate sphere propellants plasticized with triethyleneglycol dinitrate (TEGDN) (TEGDN propellants) to high density propellants. The obtained consolidated propellants are deterred and coated with the slow burning multi-layer coating. The maximum compaction density of deterred and coated consolidated propellants can reach up to 1.39 g/cm³. Their mechanic, deconsolidation and combustion performances are tested by the materials test machine, interrupted burning set-up and closed vessel, respectively. The static compression strength of consolidated propellants deterred by multi-layer coating increases significantly to 18 MPa, indicating that they can be applied in most circumstances of charge service. And the samples are easy to deconsolidate in the interrupted burning test. Furthermore, the closed bomb burning curves of the samples indicate a two-stage combustion phenomenon under the condition of certain thickness of coated multi-layers. After the outer deterred multi-layer coating of consolidated samples is finished burning, the inner consolidated propellants continue to burn and breakup into aggregates and grains. The high burning progressivity can be carefully obtained by the smart control of deconsolidation process and duration of consolidated propellants. The preliminary results of consolidated propellants show that a rapid deconsolidation process at higher deconsolidation pressure is presented in the dynamic vivacity curves of closed bomb test. Higher density and higher macro progressivity of consolidated propellants can be obtained by the techniques in this paper.     

Statistical variability and fragility assessment of ballistic perforation of steel plates for 7.62 mm AP ammunition

The paper describes field test results of 7.62 × 51 mm M61 AP (armour piercing) ammunition fired into mild steel targets at an outdoor range. The targets varied from 10 mm to 32 mm in thickness. The tests recorded penetration depth, probability of perforation (i.e., complete penetration), muzzle and impact velocities, bullet mass, and plate yield strength and hardness. The measured penetration depth exhibited a variability of approximately ±12%. The paper then compared ballistic test results with predictive models of steel penetration depth and thickness to prevent perforation. Statistical parameters were derived for muzzle and impact velocity, bullet mass, plate thickness, plate hardness, and model error. A Monte-Carlo probabilistic analysis was then developed to estimate the probability of plate perforation of 7.62 mm M61 AP ammunition for a range of impact velocities, and for mild steels, and High Hardness Armour (HHA) plates. This perforation fragility analysis considered the random variability of impact velocity, bullet mass, plate thickness, plate hardness, and model error. Such a probabilistic analysis allows for reliability-based design, where, for example, the plate thickness with 95% reliability (i.e. only 1 in 20 shots will penetrate the wall) can be estimated knowing the probabilistic distribution of perforation. Hence, it was found that the plate thickness to ensure a low 5% probability of perforation needs to be 11–15% thicker than required to have a 50/50 chance of perforation for mild steel plates. Plates would need to be 20–30% thicker if probability of perforation is reduced to zero.     

Experimental investigation on anti-penetration performance of polyurea-coated ASTM1045 steel plate subjected to projectile impact

In this study, the anti-penetration performance of polyurea/ASTM1405-steel composite plate subjected to high velocity projectile was analyzed. Two kinds of modified polyurea material (AMMT-053 and AMMT-055) were selected and a ballistic impact testing system including speed measuring target system and high-speed camera was designed. This experiment was conducted with a rifle and 5.8 mm projectile to explore the effects by the polyurea coating thickness, the polyurea coating position and the glass-fiber cloth on the anti-penetration performance of polyurea/ASTM1405-steel composite plate. The result showed that the effects of polyurea coating position were different between two types of polyurea, and that the effects of glass-fiber position were disparate between two types of polyurea as well. For AMMT-053 polyurea material, it was better to be on front face than on rear face; whereas for AMMT-055 pol-yurea, it was better to be on rear surface although the difference was very subtle. Additionally, formulas had been given to describe the relationship between the effectiveness of polyurea and the thickness of polyurea coating. In general, AMMT-055 had better anti-penetration performance than AMMT-053. Furthermore, five typical damage modes including self-healing, crack, local bulge, spallation and local fragmentation were defined and the failure mechanism was analyzed with the results of SHPB test. Additionally, the bonding strength played an important role in the anti-penetration performance of polyurea/steel composite plate.     

Delamination process in cross-ply UHMWPE laminates under ballistic penetration

Cross-ply unidirectional laminates made of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers are widely used as components of bullet-proof vests. To simulate the delamination process of the material under penetration, we constructed a numerical mechanical model, which was validated by tests using 7.62 × 39 mm rifle bullets penetrating laminates of different thicknesses. The results show that the delamination region is essentially diamond-shaped. The simulated delamination region is in good agreement with the experimental data. It is found that the delamination region increases with the compression modulus along the fiber direction. The delamination region increases when the shear strength between the fabric layers decreases;However, it is little influenced by the normal strength. The delamination region of the front face of the laminate is little influenced by the failure strain of the material and the initial velocity of the bullet. The delamination region of the back face increases with the failure strain and decreases with the initial velocity.     

防护墙抗金属射流侵彻最佳防护距离研究

炸高对聚能射流的侵彻作用影响很大，尤其在大炸高的情况下，射流很容易出现断裂和径向分散，其侵彻能力将显著降低。通过对射流形成、运动和侵彻过程的分析，得出了比较合理的防护墙抗金属射流的安全防护距离，可以为防护工程的设计提供参考。     

爆炸冲击作用下加筋板结构变形研究

为了预报加筋板结构在爆炸冲击载荷作用下的变形程度,将加筋板的变形分为整体变形和局部变形,借助数值计算拟合了两者能量分配关系,进而提出了爆炸冲击作用下加筋板结构变形的理论计算方法,并与实验结果进行比较,结果吻合较好。     

Low velocity impact studies of E-glass/epoxy composite laminates at different thicknesses and temperatures

Low velocity impact experiments were carried out on E-glass/epoxy composite laminates having varying thicknesses at sub zero and elevated temperatures using hemi spherical steel impactor of 16 mm diameter with impact energies in the rage of 50–150 J. The performance of the laminates was assessed in terms of energy absorption, maximum displacement, peak force and failure behaviour. Results indicated that the effect of temperature on energy absorption of the laminate is negligible although the laminates are embrittling at sub zero temperatures. However it has influence on failure behaviour and displacement. Peak force has increased linearly with increase in laminate thickness from 5 to 10 mm. However it got reduced by 25% when temperature was increased from −20 °C to 100 °C. Based on experimental results, laminate perforation energies were predicted using curve fitting equations. Statistical analysis was carried out using Taguchi method to identify the global effects of various parameters on laminate performance and confirmed that the laminate thickness has significant influence as compared to temperature, for the studied range.