Assessment of confinement’s influence on a concrete target’s ability to approximate semi-infinite perforation performance

Abstract

The ability to accurately evaluate impact penetration resistance of a structural element in an experimental setting often requires the experimental impact specimen configuration to be as close as possible to a structural element in a fielded protective design scheme. This includes the target’s capability to estimate the semi-infinite response of a structural element such as a wall where inertial confinement is provided by undamaged material surrounding the area damaged by impact. Artificially simulating this confinement in an experimental target can take several forms, including use of a circumferential steel ring as a confining medium. Experimental data gathered from impact tests were utilized to create a representative numerical simulation of a confined target design. This simulation evaluated artificial and inertial confinement on concrete perforation by varying target to projectile diameters with and without artificial confinement. Perforation performance was found to be unaffected by confinement type when the target diameter to projectile diameter ratio was 16. Semi-infinite surface approximation was found to occur when the target diameter to projectile diameter ratio was 64 despite the confinement type at higher impact velocities; however, this ratio could be reduced while maintaining semi-infinite performance for lower velocity impacts.