Empirical data suggests that ceramic spheres can serve as front face systems for armor applications, which can improve performance over current monolithic plate design by providing multi-hit fracture resistance and lower costs. Ballistic test results of ceramics composed of AD90, AD995 and sapphire (AL2O3) are presented alongside hydro code simulation results. In addition to chemical differences, impact performance between geometric differences is also examined. Performance calculations include (as a function of time) projectile velocity, deceleration, force applied and work applied to the projectile. Shockwave propagation through sapphire targets is observed to be consistent with published sound speeds and is in agreement with hydro code. We found that 1/2" spheres are shown to perform better than 1/2" right circular cylinders. AD90 is shown to perform better under ballistic test conditions than AD995, indicating the feasibility of a low-cost, ceramic sphere–based front facing armor system.

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http://archive.org/details/effectsofballist1094559559

Captain, United States Marine Corps