Low velocity perforation of thick magnesium alloy AM60 plates impacted by rigid conical-nose impactor

Abstract

The impact resistance behaviour of the plate made of the AM60 magnesium alloy at the low velocity impact perforation mode is here investigated at room temperature using a numerical approach based on experimental results. Dynamic tests were performed using an impact digital tower on the 10.0 mm thick AM60 magnesium alloy plates using cylindrical impactors with conical-nose shapes of a nominal diameter of 12.0 mm, and a nominal mass of 5.77 kg. The plates were impacted with velocities ranging from 7 to 16 m/s. During the experiments, the failure of the target plates was evaluated. Finite element (FE) model was validated using experimental results. FE simulations of the conducted experiments were performed with ABAQUS software. In simulations the strain rate dependent Johnson–Cook yield criterion with a strain hardening law was accompanied with either the ductile fracture criterion or stress triaxiality-dependent JC fracture criterion to describe the target material properties. The stress and strain distributions for different impactor velocity considered were calculated using initial impact velocity data obtained from the experiments. A range of parameters, like element size, the fracture initiation strain, friction coefficient, etc. which play an important role in the simulation, were studied. The results of numerical simulation were compared with those from the experiment obtained. A good agreement between them was achieved. The failure process of AM60 target-plate revealed that in the case of the conical-nose impactor, the ductile hole enlargement occurs during the initial stage of the impact, and subsequently, a through-thickness fracture develops causing its shear plugging failure.