Finite element analysis of the ballistic performance of monolithic and double-layered plates subjected to deformable projectiles

Abstract

Impact problems have always been a field of interest for researchers because of their wide application in industries, especially in producing protective structures in defence. In the present study, finite element analysis is used to analyze the ballistic performance of monolithic and double-layered plates against cylindrical projectile with different nose shapes, viz. trapezoidal and flat-nosed, using a dynamic temperature displacement explicit analysis in the commercial finite element software ABAQUS. Further, the study compares the ballistic resistance (BR) of plates with different thicknesses (6, 10, and 12 mm) against the same configuration of projectiles. The Johnson–Cook (JC) constitutive strength and damage model characterizes the target and projectile material behavior. Mie–Grüneisen equation of state describes the material behavior of projectile and target under high pressure. The impact response of the target is compared in terms of plate deformation, ballistic limit velocity, and failure pattern of targets during impact. The monolithic plate has 2.42% higher impact resistance than the double-layered plate for the trapezoidal-nosed projectile, while for a flat-nosed projectile, double-layered plates have 9.42% higher BR than the monolithic plates. Moreover, the BR of plates (6, 10, and 12 mm) for flat-nosed projectiles is found to be 7.94, 5.56, and 4.59% higher than trapezoidal-nosed projectiles.