Assessing the effectiveness of UHPFRC, FRHSC and ECC against high velocity projectile impact

Abstract

High velocity projectile impact (HVPI) test was carried out on three classes of cement composites to assess their performance. The tests were conducted on thick block specimens using non-deformable ogive-nosed projectiles with a mass of 250 g and a diameter of 28 mm at approximately 400 m/s. The severity of damage was quantified by the depth of penetration (DOP), equivalent crater diameter (ECD), crater volume (CV), and crater profile (CP). The ability of cement composites to resist the HVPI in terms of DOP seems to be influenced by aggregates because cracks are forced through aggregate at the high strain rate under HVPI. The energy absorption capacity under direct tension is found to be more relevant than flexural toughness in controlling CV and CP. Transient temperature under HVPI is likely elevated to about 250 °C in the ultra-high performance fiber reinforced concrete (UHPFRC), which may lead to higher internal pressure built-up (thus damage) than the engineered cementitious composites (ECC).