Use of rubberized concrete as a cushion layer in bulletproof fiber reinforced concrete panels

Abstract

► This study proposes the use of double layer bulletproof concrete panel consisting of layers of soft and hard material. ► The soft layer is intended for absorbing impact energy, reducing acceleration and displacement occurred to the plate. ► The soft layer is made of rubberized concrete produced by mixing crumb rubber particle from wasted tires. In this study, the ability of rubberized concrete to improve the impact performance of steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) bulletproof panel subjected to direct fire arm is investigated. The rubberized concrete layer (RC) made by replacing fine aggregate at 50%, 75% and 100% by volume fractions is used to replace parts of the thickness of the SFRC panel. The dimensions of the panels are 400 × 400 × 30 mm, the bullet type is 9 mm, and the striking distance is 10 m. For single layer panels, two types of panels are tested: steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) and rubberized concrete (RC). For double layer panels, the RC layer is placed at the front surface by partially replacing part of the SFRC layer at 5, 10 and 15 mm. It is expected that the flexibility and softness of the RC layers will allow the RC layer to act as a cushion layer to absorb the impact energy from the bullet and cause less damage, delay the responding time and reduce the acceleration occurring to the panel.