Plastic deformation of polyurea coated composite aluminium plates subjected to low velocity impact

•Aluminium–polyurea composites plates were subjected to low velocity impacts.•Projectile impacts were simulated using advanced finite element code LS-DYNA.•Out-of-plane deformations were measured and compared with numerical predictions.•Polyurea showed good ability in reducing permanent plastic deformation.•Composite plate show better ability in absorbing impact energy.

The demand for protective measures for structures is on the rise due to the increasing possibility of structural damage due to threats such as natural disasters, collision of vehicles, and blast and ballistic impacts. Application of an elastomer as a composite material with other base materials such as aluminium, steel and concrete has been considered as one of the measures to mitigate such threats. However, very limited work has been conducted in this area, especially on the feasibility of polyurea (elastomer) as a composite material against low velocity impacts. The focus of this research is to investigate the behaviour of polyurea coated composite aluminium plates subjected to rigid blunt-nosed projectile impact. AA5083-H116 aluminium alloy plates with polyurea coatings of 6 mm and 12 mm thickness were investigated. A blunt cylindrical projectile of high strength steel travelling in the velocity range of 5–15 m/s impacted at the centre of the 300 mm × 300 mm square plates. A polyurea coating was used to absorb part of the impact energy and provide protection to the plates as an energy damping material through application on the impact side of the plates. In addition, uncoated aluminium plates of the same thickness were used in the test program. A gas gun mechanism was used to fire a 5 kg projectile, and laser displacement monitoring equipment was used to record the out-of-plane deformation history of the plate during the impact. The complete test setup has been modelled numerically using the advanced finite element (FE) code LS-DYNA. The models were validated with the experimental results. Deformation time histories obtained from both the experimental and numerical studies for the plates were used to compare the ability of polyurea to effectively mitigate the damage resulting from low velocity impact. The polyurea coated plates showed a considerable reduction in out-of-plane deformation when compared to the uncoated plates. These findings indicate that polyurea can be utilised as an efficient energy absorbing/damping material against low velocity impact damage.