Ballistic performance of titanium-based layered composites made using blended elemental powder metallurgy and hot isostatic pressing

Metal matrix composites tiles based on Ti-6Al-4V(Ti64)alloy,reinforced with 10,20,and 40(vol%)of either TiC or TiB particles were made using press-and-sinter blended elemental powder metallurgy(BEPM)and then bonded together into 3-layer laminated plates using hot isostatic pressing(HIP).The laminates were ballistically tested and demonstrated superior performance.The microstructure and properties of the laminates were analyzed to determine the effect of the BEPM and HIP processing on the ballistic properties of the layered plates.The effect of porosity in sintered composites on further diffusion bonding of the plates during HIP is analyzed to understand the bonding features at the interfaces between different adjacent layers in the laminate.Exceptional ballistic performance of fabricated structures was explained by a significant reduction in the residual porosity of the BEPM products by their additional processing using HIP,which provides an unprecedented increase in the hardness of the layered composites.It is argued that the combination of the used two technologies,BEPM and HIP is principally complimentary for the materials in question with the abilities to solve the essential problems of each used individually.

Comparison of iron aluminide Fe_(3)Al with armour steel in ballistic behaviour OA

Intermetallic aluminide compounds possess several potential advantages compared to alloyed steels,like enhanced oxidation resistance,lower density and the omittance of critical raw materials.Iron aluminides,compared to other transition metal-aluminides of TM_(3)-Al type,although having a higher density compared to titan-aluminides,have a lower density compared to nickel-aluminides,but also a higher ductility than both alternatives,making this material potentially effective in ballistic protection application.Density-wise,this material may be a worthy alternative to armour steels,which was the aim of this study.Two materials,Fe_(3)Al intermetallic compound(F3A-C)and Armox 500 armour steel were ballistically tested against tungsten-carbide(WC)armour-piercing ammunition,in accordance with STANAG 4569.After ballistic testing,microhardness and metallographic testing were performed,revealing differences in strain hardening,crack propagation mode and exit hole morphology.F3A-C ballistic resistance is similar to that of armour steel,in spite of the lower tensile and impact mechanical properties,relying on a considerably higher strain hardening rate,thermal properties and a lower density.

Experimental study on anti-penetration mechanism of bolted composite protective structure with limited span under impact of low-velocity projectile

In order to study the influence of the bolt joint mode on low-velocity projectiles penetrating the composite protective structure,two bolt joint models which connect the composite target to the fixed frame were designed,the ballistic test of the bolted composite protective structure with limited span was carried out,and the bearing and failure characteristics of the bolted region,as well as the energy dissipation of each part of the structure,were analyzed.The results show that in the condition of lowvelocity impact,there are three failure modes for the bolted composite protective structure subjected to projectile penetration,including failure of the impact point of the composite target,failure of protective structure connecting components and failure of the holes in the bolted region of the composite target;the failure mode of bolt holes in the bolted region has a great influence on the protection performance,and the allowable value of the bearing capacity of the bolted region depends on the sum of the minimum failure load in the failure modes and the friction force;shear-out failure occurring in the bolt holes in the bolted region exerts the greatest effect on ballistic performance,which should be avoided;When simultaneous failure occurs in the bolted region and the free deformation region of the composite protective structure,the energy absorption per unit surface density of the composite protective structure reaches the maximum,which can give full play to its anti-penetration efficiency.

An investigation on anti-impact and penetration performance of basalt fiber composites with different weave and lay-up modes

The woven basalt fiber composites(WBFC) and the unidirectional [0°/90°/45°/-45°]s basalt fiber composites(UBFC) were prepared by hot-pressing.Three-point bending test,low velocity impact test,and ballistic test were performed to the prepared composites.After the tests,the specimens were recovered and analyzed for micromorphology.Three-point bending tests show that both the bending strength and stiffness of the WBFC surpass those of the UBFC.Low velocity impact test results show that the low velocity impact resistance to hemispherical impactor of the UBFC is higher than that of the WBFC,but the low velocity impact resistance to sharp impactor of the UBFC is lower than that of the WBFC.For the ballistic test,it can be found that the ballistic property of the UBFC is higher than that of the WBFC. After the tests,microscopic analysis of the specimens was applied,and their failure mechanism was discussed.The main failure modes of the UBFC are delamination and fibers breakage under the above loading conditions while the main failure mode of the WBFC is fibers breakage.Although delamination damage can be found in the WBFC under the above loading conditions,the degree of delamination is far less than that of the UBFC.

The mechanical performance and a rate-dependent constitutive model for Al3Ti compound

The Al3Ti compound has potential application in the high temperature structure materials due to its low density,high strength and stiffness.The mechanical behaviors of the material under different loading rates were studied using compression tests.The results indicate that Al3Ti is a typical brittle material and its compressive strength is dependent on the strain rate.Therefore,a series of rate-dependent constitutive equations are needed to describe its mechanical behaviors accurately.However,it is still short of professional research on the material model for Al3Ti.In this study,the mate rial model was developed on the basis of JH-2 constitutive equations using the experimental data.The model was then applied in simulating the impact process of Ti/Al3Ti metal-intermetallic laminate composites so as to validate the established model.Good agreement between simulation and experiment results shows the constitutive model predict the material responses under high rate and large deformation accurately.This work provides more support for the theoretical and numerical research on the intermetallic.

Residual Characteristic of High-Velocity Steel Fragments Penetrating UHMWPE FRP Laminates

The mechanical performance of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber (UHMWPE) and its composites were proposed. Penetrated properties of different thicknesses UHMWPE FRP laminates (URP) impacted by 3.3g cubic high velocity fragments were studied. According to the ballistic experimental results and theoretical analysis, the linear relation between ballistic limit vBL and area density AD was confirmed. The relative parameters of showing experientially residual velocity vr were expressed by the function of AD. In the end, versatile experiential expression between vr and AD was found. Prediction of vr and vBL using obtained expressions under the above stated condition of impacting URP was consistent with the experimentaled results. Consequently, the two experiential relations can be used to predict the residual velocity and ballistic limit of cubic high velocity fragments impacting URP. The residual characteristic of high-velocity steel fragments penetrating UHMWPE FRP laminates can be more exactly forecasted by the two derived experiential formulas.

Dynamic penetration behaviors of graphene origami under high-velocity impact

Brittleness remains the key bottleneck for graphene to be used as impact protection materials and this obstacle can be overcome by origami-modified graphene.Herein we employed molecular dynamics sim-ulation to investigate the perforation behaviours of graphene origami(GOri)under ballistic impact from a diamond projectile.We found that the threshold penetration velocity of GOri can be improved signifi-cantly by 46.27%compared with that of its pristine counterpart.Under a small ballistic impact loading at a low speed,GOri experiences a unique unfolding process and hence has improved impact-resistance performance.Depending on the initial velocity of the projectile,three different penetration phenomena are observed,i.e.bounce-back,capture,and perforation state.The penetration energy depends on the roughness of GOri,the initial impact velocity,the projectile’s radius and the layer number.This study provides useful insights into the perforation behaviours and energy absorption of GOri and offers useful guidelines for graphene applications as impact protection materials.

Failure mechanisms of bolted flanges in aero-engine casings subjected to impact loading

In this paper,a failure evaluation criterion was proposed for the bolted casing-flange structure under impact loading.Subsequently,ballistic tests with eighteen bolted casing-flange structure specimens were conducted to validate the failure evaluation criterion.Parameter studies were then carried out using the validated FE models.Both the experimental and numerical results demonstrated the accuracy of the failure evaluation criterion.The failure evaluation criterion provided a quick and easy way to determine the failure mode of the casing connection area by using the materials and dimensions of the structure.Based on the failure evaluation criterion,designing the structural failure mode of the bolted casing-flange structure to be between flange failure and bolt failure can improve the impact resistance of the connection area of the aero-engine casings.This investigation revealed that the impact failure is not the unique criterion in evaluating the containment of the casing connection area,structural failure should also be involved in the evaluation criteria.

Microstructural evolution and energetic characteristics of TiZrHfTa_(0.7)W_(0.3)high-entropy alloy under high strain rates and its application in high-velocity penetration

Energetic structural materials(ESMs)integrated a high energy density and rapid energy release with the ability to serve as structural materials.Here,a novel triple-phase TiZrHfTa_(0.7)W_(0.3)high-entropy alloy(HEA)was fabricated and investigated as a potential ESM.A hierarchical microstructure was obtained with a main metastable body-centered-cubic(BCC)matrix with distributed Ta-W-rich BCC precipitates of various sizes and interwoven hexagonal close-packed(HCP)lamellar nano-plates.The compressive me-chanical properties were tested across a range of strain rates and demonstrated a brittle-to-ductile tran-sition as the strain rate increased while maintaining a high ultimate strength of approximately 2.5 GPa.This was due to the phase transformation from metastable matrix BCC to HCP structures.In addition,during the dynamic deformation,metal combustion originating from the failure surface was observed.Furthermore,the composition of the fragments was studied,and the results indicated that the addition of tungsten promoted combustion.Finally,the potential application of this HEA was evaluated by high-velocity penetration tests,and the results were compared to other typical structural materials for pene-trators and bullets.A comparison was conducted by assessing the geometries of the penetration channel employing two dimensionless parameters normalized by the projectile size,representing longitudinal and lateral damage,respectively.The normalized depth of the TiZrHfTa_(0.7)W_(0.3)HEA projectile was comparable to those of the other investigated materials,but the normalized diameter was the largest,showing an excellent ability to deliver lateral damage.