Surface Wave Effects on the Ballistic Response of Brittle Materials

Prior experimental studies [1–3] have shown substantial improvement in the ballistic performance of ceramics due to surface treatment with thin coatings; however, no correlation between layer properties and degree of improvement has been found and no mechanism has yet been identified. It is certainly true that the high strain rates present in a ballistic event will cause surface waves to form and it is plausible that the interaction of these waves with surface flaws may contribute significantly to cracking and failure. In the present work a computational framework is developed to study the role of surface waves in brittle materials. Extension of this framework to multi-layer systems should provide insight into whether or not the observed surface-treatment effect in ceramics can be attributed to surface wave suppression.