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.     

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.     

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.     

Investigation of the mechanical and ballistic properties of hybrid carbon/ aramid woven laminates

High-performance ballistic fibers, such as aramid fiber and ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), are commonly used in anti-ballistic structures due to their low density, high tensile strength and high specific modulus. However, their low modulus in the thickness direction and insufficient shear strength limits their application in certain ballistic structure. In contrast, carbon fiber reinforced epoxy resin matrix composites (CFRP) have the characteristics of high modulus in the thickness direction and high shear resistance. However, carbon fibers are rarely used and applied for protection purposes. A hybridization with aramid fiber reinforced epoxy resin matrix composites (AFRP) and CFRP has the potential to improve the stiffness and the ballistic property of the typical ballistic fiber composites. The hybrid effects on the flexural property and ballistic performance of the hybrid CFRP/AFRP laminates were investigated. Through conducting mechanical property tests and ballistic tests, two sets of reliable simulation parameters for AFRP and CFRP were established using LS-DYNA software, respectively. The experimental results suggested that by increasing the content of CFRP that the flexural properties of hybrid CFRP/AFRP laminates were enhanced. The ballistic tests’ results and the simulation illustrated that the specific energy absorption by the perforation method of CFRP achieved 77.7% of AFRP. When CFRP was on the striking face, the shear resistance of the laminates and the resistance force to the projectiles was promoted at the initial penetration stage. The proportion of fiber tensile failures in the AFRP layers was also enhanced with the addition of CFRP during the penetration process. These improvements resulted in the ballistic performance of hybrid CFRP/AFRP laminates was better than AFRP when the CFRP content was 20 wt% and 30 wt%.     

复合材料新的热层合理论及其有限元方法研究

本文基子三维各向异性热传导方程和复合材料的一般层合理论,推导出复合材料层合结构瞬态温度场分析的新的热层合理论,并依据此理论建立了简单、实用的有限元格式。数值算例表明：基于热层合理论的有限元方法有较好的精度,同时又比传统的分析方法更简便、有效。     

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.     

Damage mechanics and energy absorption capabilities of naturalfiber reinforced elastomeric based bio composite for sacrificial structural applications

The present study deals with the experimental, finite element (FE) and analytical assessment of low ballistic impact response of proposedflexible'green' composite make use of naturally available jute and rubber as the constituents of the composite with stacking sequences namely jute/rubber/jute (JRJ), jute/rubber/rubber/jute (JRRJ) and jute/rubber/jute/rubber/jute (JRJRJ). Ballistic impact tests were carried out by firing a conical projectile using a gas gun apparatus at lower range of ballistic impact regime. The ballistic impact response of the proposed flexible composites are assesses based on energy absorption and damage mechanism. Results revealed that inclusion of natural rubber aids in better energy ab-sorption and mitigating the failure of the proposed composite. Among the three different stacking se-quences of flexible composites considered, JRJRJ provides better ballistic performance compared to its counterparts. The damage study reveals that the main mechanism of failure involved in flexible com-posites is matrix tearing as opposed to matrix cracking in stiff composites indicating that the proposedflexible composites are free from catastrophic failure. Results obtained from experimental, FE and analytical approach pertaining to energy absorption and damage mechanism agree well with each other. The proposed flexible composites due to their exhibited energy absorption capabilities and damage mechanism are best suited as claddings for structural application subjected to impact with an aim of protecting the main structural component from being failed catastrophically.     

Phenomenological modelling of flow behaviour of 20MnMoNi55 reactor pressure vessel steel at cryogenic temperature with different strain rates

In the present study a phenomenological constitutive model is developed to describe the flow behaviour of 20MnMoNi55 low carbon reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steel at sub-zero temperature under different strain rates. A set of uniaxial tensile tests is done with the variation of strain rates and temperature ranging from 10⁻⁴ s⁻¹ to 10⁻¹ s⁻¹ and -80 °C to −140 °C respectively. From the experimental data, family of flow curves at different temperatures and strain rates are generated and fitted exponentially. The strain rate and temperature dependence of the coefficients of the exponential flow curves are extracted from these curves and characterised through a general phenomenological constitutive coupled equation. The coefficients of this coupled equation are optimised using genetic algorithm. Finite element simulation of tensile tests at different strain rates and temperatures are done using this coupled equation in material model of Abaqus FEA software and validated with experimental results. The novelties of proposed model are: (a) it can predict precisely the flow behaviour of tensile tests (b) it is a simple form of equation where fitting parameters are both function of strain rate ratio and temperature ratio, (c) it has ability to characterize flow behaviour with decreasing subzero temperatures and increasing strain rates.     

多轴向织物层合板层间剪切强度有限元分析与实验研究

用VIMP工艺制备了UD、0/45/-45、0/45/90/-45三种多轴向织物增强,四种厚度的GFRP层合板试样,采用短梁剪切实验考察了层间剪切强度和破坏模式。建立了GFRP层合板短梁剪切试样有限元模型,计算了内部层间剪应力分布。结合计算和实验结果分析表明层合板存在由宽度方向层间剪应力变化导致的自由边缘效应,含偏轴铺层的层合板更容易发生边缘开裂破坏。厚度相同时0/45/-45多轴向织物增强层合板的层间剪切强度最高。短梁剪切强度测试存在尺寸效应,随着厚度的增加,强度下降,样品波动系数增大。     

Design of infrared camouflage cloak for underground silos

The temperature difference between the exposed surface of an underground silo and the surrounding soil surface is significant, which means a silo can be easily found by infrared detection. We designed an infrared camouflage cloak consisting of an imitative layer and an insulation layer for the silos. The imitative layer is used to imitate the thermal response of the soil to the surrounding environment. The insulation layer is used to weaken the impact of the internal temperature field of the silo on the lower boundary of the imitative layer. A silo model including surrounding soil and a soil model without silo were established, and the influences of the material and thickness of each layer on the infrared camouflage effect were analyzed. The results show that when using a silicone rubber containing alumina powder with a volume fraction of 3.18% as the imitative material, its thermal inertia is in consistent with that of the soil. Meanwhile, it was found that the thickness of the imitative layer doesn’t need to be greater than its thermal penetration depth to achieve the infrared camouflage, and the absence of the insulation layer will cause hot spots on the silo surface in winter to weaken the camouflage effect. The optimized thicknesses of the imitative layer and the insulation layer are 22 cm and 4 cm respectively. The simulations indicate that with the application of the cloak, the maximum value of the absolute values of the temperature differences between the average temperatures of the silo surface and the surrounding soil surface temperatures drops from 1.59 °C to 0.31 °C in summer and from 1.92 °C to 0.21 °C in winter. This designed cloak can achieve an all-weather and full-time passive infrared camouflage.     

纤维缠绕复合材料夹芯圆柱体高应变率压缩吸能机理

为研究纤维缠绕复合材料夹芯圆柱体吸能元件在高应变率冲击压缩载荷作用下的变形损伤模式和能量吸收机理,采用ABAQUS商用有限元软件和分离式Hopkinson压杆装置开展数值模拟分析和试验验证研究。对比分析宏观力学响应规律和微观损伤破坏机理,可知吸能结构元件在高应变率压缩载荷下的力学响应具有典型的弹塑性特征,内部芯材主要产生压缩塑性损伤,而表层复合材料沿环向产生拉伸断裂破坏。研究表明,该吸能元件冲击压缩吸能特性优异,可满足水下结构平台的冲击防护和浮力储备要求。     

穿甲子弹偏心入射陶瓷/钢复合靶板试验

设计并进行了7.62mm穿甲子弹侵彻陶瓷/低碳钢复合靶板的弹道试验,得到了极限速度及陶瓷锥底部半径等数据。分析了锥底半径与入射速度、面板及背板厚度的关系,着重分析了偏心入射时靶板的抗弹机理。结果表明:陶瓷锥可分为破碎区和粉碎区,粉碎区半径约为面板厚度与弹丸半径之和;当弹着点距离陶瓷面板边缘大于5mm时,靶板的抗弹性能变化不大,而弹着点位于距陶瓷面板边缘小于5mm的板边区时,抗弹性能明显降低,靶板的有效防护面积应扣除板边区。     

Investigation of normal,lateral, and oblique impact of microscale projectiles into unidirectional glass/epoxy composites

Spacesuits and spacecraft must endure high velocity impacts from micrometeoroids. This work considers the impact of 100 μm diameter projectiles into composite targets at velocities from 0.5 km/s to 2 km/s. This work begins by presenting an energy-based theoretical model relating depth of penetration (DoP) and impact force to impact velocity, characteristic time, and threshold velocity and force. Next, this work compares numerical simulations of normal impact on composites to the theoretical model. Numerical simulations are conducted with LS-DYNA and the well-known composite model, MAT-162. The numerical models consider unidirectional S2-glass fiber reinforced SC-15 epoxy composite laminates. The numerical model shows good correlation with the theoretical model. The numerical model also investigates lateral impact, parallel to the fiber direction, and oblique impact at angles from 30° to 82.5°. This work decomposes oblique impact into normal and lateral components, and compares them with normal and lateral impact results. The results show good correlation of the normal component of oblique results with the theoretical model. This numerical and theoretical study focuses on DoP, velocity, and penetration resistance force as functions of time. The theoretical model and numerical simulations are used to determine new DoP parameters: characteristic time of depth of penetration and threshold impact velocity. These models are a first step in developing the capability to predict DoP for oblique, microscale, high-speed impact on composite materials.     

轮胎对车载火炮射击稳定性影响研究

分析了某车载122 mm火炮的整体拓扑结构,通过考虑轮胎与地面的接触情况,利用ADAMS软件建立了某122mm车载榴弹炮的虚拟样机模型,用Fortran语言编写了炮膛合力和反后坐装置力程序,分别对火炮射击时车轮与地面接触和不接触两种情况进行仿真。基于车载炮炮、车相结合的特点,选取后坐位移、炮口纵向加速度、车架质心位移幅值、上架质心位移幅值为测量量,对比并分析了两种情况对火炮射击稳定性的影响。仿真结果表明,车轮着地射击时,炮口振动较小,射击结束后车体更快恢复稳定。该研究可为相关车载武器提供一定参考。     

加筋板架抗动能穿甲的等效防护厚度研究

为研究舰船舷侧结构抗穿甲性能,采用有限元分析了两种典型工况下板架的穿甲破坏模式、弹体的剩余速度和板架的变形吸能规律,提出了基于剪切冲塞模式的剩余速度理论计算模型,比较了不同等效计算方法得到的结果,并将理论计算结果分别与相关文献的实验结果和本文的有限元计算结果进行了比较,两者之间均吻合较好。结果表明,加强筋对板架的抗穿甲性能影响较大,而板架的实际等效厚度是决定其抗穿甲性能的主要因素;不同的等效计算方法与模型相对尺寸、弹体冲击速度以及命中位置有关,对于弹体直径相对较大且初始冲击速度较高时,不同的等效计算方法得到的结果基本一致。     

Influence of thickness and projectile shape on penetration resistance of the compliant composite

The present study deals with development of conceptual proof for jute rubber basedflexible composite block to completely arrest the projectile impacting the target at high velocity impact of 400 m/s through numerical simulation approach using finite element (FE) method. The proposed flexible composite blocks of repeating jute/rubber/jute (JRJ) units are modelled with varying thickness from 30 mm to 120 mm in increments of 30 mm and impacted by flat (F), ogival (O) and hemispherical (HS) shaped projectiles. All the considered projectiles are impacted with proposed flexible composite blocks of different thicknesses and the penetration behaviour of the projectile in each case is studied. The penetration depth of the projectile in case of partially penetrated cases are considered and the effect of thickness and projectile shape on percentage of penetration depth is statistically analyzed using Tagu-chi's design of experiments (DOE). Results reveal that the though proposedflexible composite block with thickness of 90 mm is just sufficient to arrest the complete penetration of the projectile, considering the safety issues, it is recommended to use theflexible composite with thickness of 120 mm. The nature of damage caused by the projectile in the flexible composite is also studied. Statistical studies show that thickness of the block plays a prominent role in determining the damage resistance of the flexible composite.     

Effects of material of metallic frame on the penetration resistances of ceramic-metal hybrid structures

The effects of metallic material on the penetration resistances of ceramic-metal hybrid structures against vertical long-rod tungsten projectiles were studied by artillery-launched experiments and numerical simulation. Hybrid structures with rectangular cores in transverse orthogonal arrangement and slide-fitting ceramic inserts of zirconia toughened alumina prisms were fabricated with titanium alloy TC4 (Ti6Al4V), AISI 4340 steel and 7075 aluminum alloy panels, respectively. The results showed that the hybrid structure of Ti6Al4V exhibited the highest penetration resistance, followed by that of 7075 aluminum alloy with the same area density. The penetration resistance of the hybrid structure of AISI 4340 steel was the lowest. The underlying mechanisms showed that the metallic material of a ceramic-metal hybrid structure can directly affect its energy absorption from the impact projectile, which further affects its penetration resistance. Different metallic frames exhibited different failure characteristics, resulting in different constraint conditions or support conditions for ceramic prisms. The high penetration resistance of the Ti6Al4V hybrid structure was due to its stronger back support to ceramic prisms as compared with that of AISI 4340 steel hybrid structure, and better constraint condition for ceramic prisms by metallic webs as compared with that of 7075 aluminum alloy hybrid structure. The results of mass efficiency and thickness efficiency showed that the Ti6Al4V hybrid structure has advantages in reducing both the thickness and the mass of protective structure. In addition, because the ceramic-metal hybrid structures in the present work were heterogeneous, impact position has slight influence on their penetration resistances.     

基于响应面法的复合材料层合板平面应力强度可靠性分析

针对处于平面应力状态下的复合材料层合板，考虑其材料参数、强度参数、几何尺寸以及承受载荷等随机因素，用分支限界法识别结构系统的各重要失效序列，应用响应面法对某具体层合板的各失效事件进行计算，进而计算出整个系统的失效概率，并且利用MATLAB程序以及ANSYS中的APDL语言编写了JC法计算程序。计算结果表明，一般情况下层合板首先出现基体损伤失效，然后才会出现纤维断裂失效。这一结果与一些文献中的试验结果相一致，表明这种概率分析方法可以应用于实际复合材料层合板结构的可靠性分析。     

大口径机枪弹性枪架稳定性分析的冲量法

大口径机枪在弹性枪架上射击稳定性的问题,是影响连发射击精度的一个重要问题,按传统方法以最大后座力或自动机后座到位的瞬间作用校核稳定性,其结果与实际射击现象不符。本文在分析大量实验现象后,提出稳定性分析计算中的冲量法,并以12.7mm 大口径机枪为例进行检验,结果与实验现象相符.     

纤维缠绕复合材料约束球形浮力芯材准静态压缩吸能机制

针对海洋工程平台的防护吸能和浮力储备需求,设计一种纤维缠绕复合材料约束球形浮力芯材吸能结构。为分析其变形损伤特征和能量耗散机理,通过ABAQUS有限元软件和万能材料试验机开展数值模拟分析和试验验证研究。通过力学响应特征和损伤破坏模式分析可知,结构吸能设计的关键在于表层和芯材的泊松比匹配。芯材主要通过塑性压缩损伤和剪切断裂破坏吸收能量,而表层吸能则主要通过环向的花瓣形拉伸断裂破坏。研究表明,该型结构单元压缩吸能特性优异,可实现海洋工程结构平台的防护吸能和浮力储备要求。