Impact resistance of basalt aggregated UHP-SFRC/fabric composite panel against small caliber arm

• Optimal UHP-BASFRC with good workability was designed and prepared at ambient temperature and pressure.
• Bullet impact test on bare and rear fabrics protected UHP-BASFRC panels was conducted.
• Perforation limit of the bare UHP-BASFRC panel impacted by 7.62 mm API bullet was determined.
• CFRP performed better than UHMWPE in reducing rear crater dimensions and blocking ejecting fragments.
• An approach to predict terminal ballistic parameters of bullet impacting on UHP-SFRC and UHP-BASFRC slabs was suggested.

Aiming to protect person and equipment in the protective structures against high-speed small caliber arms, the optimal basalt aggregated ultra-high performance steel fiber reinforced concrete (UHP-BASFRC) with good workability was designed and prepared at ambient temperature and pressure. Prototype impact test of 19 bare and rear fabric (CFRP or UHMWPE) strengthened UHP-BASFRC panels (40–130 mm thick) struck by 7.62 mm armor-piercing incendiary (API) bullets with velocities of 810 m/s was conducted. Perforation limit of the bare UHP-BASFRC panel was experimentally confirmed and the distinguished protective performance of bare and fabric strengthened UHP-BASFRC slabs was validated. Rear fabric strengthening could decrease the perforation limit, considerably reduce the rear crater and block the rear ejected fragments, and CFRP fabric performed better than UHMWPE fabric. Besides, a practical approach to predict the terminal ballistic parameters of bullet impacting on both the traditional no coarse aggregated UHP-SFRC and the present UHP-BASFRC slabs was suggested.