A new approach for improving ballistic performance of composite armor

An experimental investigation of the ballistic performance of composite armor with geometric modifications was carried out. The armor was simulated using polymeric materials. Four different geometric modifications were incorporated into the front plate of the armor, and two different adhesives were considered in this study. High-speed photography was employed to observe the real-time evolution of impact damage and to obtain the projectile penetration history. The nature and extent of damage for each modification and adhesive was estimated by postmortem inspection of the impacted armor and was compared to that obtained in unmodified armor of equal weight. The results of the study indicate that the geometric modifications after the nature and extent of damage significantly compared to conventional composite armor. The strong adhesive causes tearing of the back plate, whereas the compliant adhesive results in extensive delamination without any back plate damage. The modifications assist in spreading the damage laterally away from the impact site, thus distributing the load onto a larger area of the back plate. Calculations using a one-dimensional theoretical model also conclude that geometrical modifications improve the ballistic performance of the armor.