Experimental Study of Ballistic Performance for Boron Carbide Ceramic Composite Targets

In order to investigate the ballistic performance of boron carbide ceramics, we carried out experiments of a ${\varnothing}$12.7 mm steel ball penetrating the boron carbide ceramic and composite target, and a 12.7 mm long-rod projectile penetrating the boron carbide ceramic composite target constrained by the ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibers. In the experiments, the failure mode of boron carbide ceramics was discussed, and the influence of the constraint mode of ballistic performance on boron carbide ceramics was studied. The results show that under the constraint of titanium alloy/UHMWPE backing plate, the interaction time between projectile and ceramic is longer, which could create finer ceramic powder and decrease the size of fragments. Hence, as the carbide ceramics absorb more energy, it could achieve better ballistic performance. As the result of the combination of the projectile and the ceramic cone, the titanium alloy back plate was damaged, forming the petal shape. And the UHMWPE laminate is accompanied by a large-scale interlayer delamination, forming an " X”-shaped bulging phenomenon. The fiber-constrained ceramics enable the boron carbide ceramic plate to remain intact when the bullet penetrates, enhance the abrasive effect on the projectile, improve the elastic resistance, and have a certain resistance against multiple impacts. Besides, the anti-penetration mechanism of boron carbide ceramic composite armor has also been analyzed, and we hope this paper can help with the optimization design of composite armor in the future.