Numerical investigation on normal and oblique ballistic impact behavior of functionally graded plates

Abstract

This paper presents a numerical model to determine the ballistic performance of functionally graded plates under normal and oblique impact. Functionally graded plates consist of metal (Al 6061) and ceramic (SiC) components. The volume fraction of the two components varying throughout the thickness of the functionally graded plates were tailored according to a power-law. The Mori-Tanaka micro-mechanics model was used for determining the local material properties in the graded region of the plates. In the ballistic analyses, the deformation and damage conditions of the functionally graded plates having metal-rich (n = 0.1), linear (n = 1.0) and ceramic-rich (n = 10.0) material compositions were investigated at five different projectile impact angles such as 0°, 15°, 30°, 45°, 60°. In addition, ballistic limit velocity, which is an important parameter in armor design, has been determined at different projectile impact angles of functionally graded plates. It was found that the material composition gradient as well as projectile impact angle played a significant role on the ballistic performance of the plates.