Product Overview:

Armor systems that incorporate ceramic components offer superior performance compared to monolithic metals of the same areal density. This improvement is not only due to the intrinsic properties of the materials but also depends on the ratio and arrangement of ceramic and metal layers. In military ground vehicle applications, armor must be designed to withstand various projectile threats while remaining lightweight to preserve vehicle maneuverability, load capacity, and fuel efficiency. This study utilizes numerical simulations to analyze the performance of composite armor systems, comprising alternating layers of ceramic and metal, using established constitutive material models. The results are compared based on equivalent areal density.

In this simulation, two steel plates and a ceramic layer are modeled as 3D components, with the projectile represented as a cylindrical part.

To capture the behavior of the steel plates and projectile under impact, elastic-plastic material data dependent on strain rate, along with ductile and shear damage models, are utilized. For the ceramic component (silicon carbide), the Johnson-Holmquist-Beissel (JHB) model is employed. This model consists of three key elements: a pressure-dependent yield surface that represents the material’s strength both before and after fracture, a damage model that transitions the material from intact to fractured, and an equation of state (EOS) that accounts for pressure-density relationships, including dilation and phase changes.

A dynamic explicit procedure is used for the simulation, with general contact defined and internal element erosion included in the input file. The projectile is assigned an initial velocity of 850 m/s. Upon completion of the simulation, all damage variables can be extracted for analysis.

Conclude this part with a tutorial on how steel-alumina plates respond to impacts using the JH2 model. Key learning points are:

• Modeling Techniques: Develop a robust model of a steel plate and a silicon-carbide projectile.
• Material Properties Input: Input data from the Abaqus documentation.
• Job Setup: Create and modify jobs to incorporate the desired simulations effectively.
• Comprehensive Results Review: Observe how variations in impact velocity alter the damage mechanics.