Punch shear based penetration model of ballistic impact of thick-section composites

Abstract Ballistic damage and penetration mechanics of thick-section composites are presented. In order to correlate the ballistic penetration damage mechanisms with quasi-static penetration, experiments are designed to maintain similar boundary conditions. It has been found that the ballistic damage mechanisms can be mimicked by conducting a series of quasi-static punch shear experiments at different support spans. A quasi-static punch shear test (QS-PST) methodology is developed to quantify and partition the penetration energy into elastic and absorbed energies as a function of penetration displacement and support span. Based on this QS-PST experimental methodology, a ‘Quasi-Static Penetration Model’ of ballistic penetration is developed to mimic different phases of ballistic penetration. QS-PST energy absorption due to material damage is shown to be 81% of the total energy absorption measured during ballistic experiments at the ballistic limit for the S-2 glass/SC15 composite studied.