Ballistic performance of alumina/S-2 glass-reinforced polymer-matrix composite hybrid lightweight armor against armor piercing (ap) and non-AP projectiles

The ability of light-weight all fiber-reinforced polymer-matrix composite armor and hybrid composite-based armor hard-faced with ceramic tiles to withstand the impact of a non-Armor-Piercing (non-AP) and AP projectiles is investigated using a transient non-linear dynamics computational analysis. The results obtained confirm experimental findings that the all-composite armor, while being able to successfully defeat non-AP threats, provides very little protection against AP projectiles. In the case of the hybrid armor, it is found that, at a fixed overall areal density of the armor, there is an optimal ratio of the ceramic-to-composite areal densities which is associated with a maximum ballistic armor performance against AP threats. The results obtained are rationalized using an analysis based on the shock/blast wave reflection and transmission behavior at the hard-face/air, hard-face/backing and backing/air interfaces, projectiles' wear and erosion and the intrinsic properties of the constituent materials of the armor and the projectiles.