The effect of thin membrane restraint on the ballistic performance of armor grade ceramic tiles

Incorporation of ceramics in hybrid armor systems has resulted in significant weight reductions. They are an excellent prospect for the next-generation energy absorbing systems for vehicular protection. In this paper, it is demonstrated that the ballistic efficiency of ceramic tiles can be vastly improved by judiciously restraining them with membranes of polymeric composites or metal sheets. Experiments have been conducted to study the ballistic performance and failure of armor grade Al2O3Al2O3 and SiC tiles. The comparative effects of restraint by materials such as E-glass/epoxy, carbon-fiber/epoxy and Ti-3%Al-2.5%V alloy and their varying thicknesses have been studied. WHA (tungsten heavy alloy) was used as the penetrator material at an impact velocity of 900ms-1. It was observed that by restraining the impact-face of ceramic tiles with a membrane of suitable tensile strength, the ballistic efficiency can be improved by nearly 25% for a mere 2.5% increase in areal density. High-speed photography, flash radiography and microscopy provide insight into the failure mechanisms that underpin this improvement.