Comparative assessment of failure characteristics on fiber-reinforced cementitious composite panels under high-velocity impact

The effectiveness of fiber-reinforced cementitious composite (FRCC) panels with several blended short fibers for impact resistance was assessed. Impact tests were performed by striking the FRCC panels with a spherical steel projectile at high velocities. Impact tests were also performed on non-fiber reinforced cementitious composite (NCC) panels for comparison. The fibers helped control local damage in the FRCCs by bridging cracks in the panels. Critical failure by modes such as scabbing and perforation of the FRCC panels was suppressed, regardless of the fiber type, over the range of impact velocities under which the NCC panels were destroyed by perforation failure. Furthermore, the penetration path of the projectile was significantly observed in the cross-section of FRCC panels. This behavior is an obvious difference in the failure characteristic between FRCCs and NCC panels under high-velocity impact.