Ceramic material under ballistic loading : A numerical approach to sphere impact on ceramic armour material

Abstract

Armour systems for ballistic protection can be made from many materials. One type of material used in armour systems is ceramic. Ceramic materials, such as alumina and silicon carbide, can be beneficial in an armour system because of their high hardness and relatively low weight. The high hardness of the ceramic potentially causes a projectile to deform heavily and fracture upon impact with the armour, thereby reducing or even eliminating the threat. The ceramic itself may also damage during the interaction. Although ceramics can damage under impact, they contribute to the protective capability of the armour system as long as they exert a force on the projectile to deformand deceleration it. In order to improve an armour system one does not only need to know when the ceramic component fails, but also how it fails. Once the failure mechanisms of the ceramic are known the armour design may be modified to delay or in an ideal scenario even prevent catastrophic failure of the ceramic. This will eventually result in stronger and lighter armour systems.