Numerical simulations of impact behaviour of thin steel plates subjected to cylindrical, conical and hemispherical non-deformable projectiles

In this paper, a numerical study of normal perforation of thin steel plates impacted by different projectile shapes is reported. The numerical simulations of this problem have been performed using a finite element code, ABAQUS-Explicit with a fixed and an adaptive mesh for the plate. To define the thermoviscoplastic behaviour of the material constituting the plate, the Johnson–Cook model has been used. This homogeneous behaviour has been coupled with the Johnson–Cook fracture criterion to predict completely the perforation process. Three kinds of projectile shape (blunt, conical and hemispherical) have been simulated with a large range of impact velocities from 190 to 600 m/s. The analysis considers the influence of adiabatic shear bands, plastic work and the gradient of temperature generated in the plate. The numerical results predict correctly the behaviour projectile-plate in agreement with experimental data published by other authors.