Experimental Study on the Penetration of Zr-Based Amorphous Fragment into Carbon Fiber Composite Target and Post-Effect Aluminum Target

Zr-based amorphous fragment is an emerging active and efficient destructive element, which will undergo a deflagration reaction and fragmentation when its impact velocity reaches its threshold. The deflagration reaction and fragmentation could greatly increase its behind-armor destructive capability. In order to study the penetration damage mechanism and behind-armor destructive capability of Zr-based amorphous fragments on carbon fiber reinforced composites, a ballistic gun was used to load the spherical fragments to impact 8 and 6 mm thick carbon fiber composite targets at velocities ranging from 496.4 m/s to 1085.8 m/s and 571.4 m/s to 1103.9 m/s, respectively. Then a 2 mm thick LY12 aluminum target plate was arranged behind the target to measure the damage capability under different working conditions. The test results showed that the mainly failure mode of strike face was a coupling failure mode of compression failure and shear failure, and the main failure mode of its back face was a coupling failure mode of tensile failure and the de-sticky splitting of the layer. With the increase of the impact velocity, the proportion of the compression and shear coupling damage of the carbon fiber composite target plate was gradually increased, and the phenomenon of tensile breakage and delamination was gradually decreased. The ballistic ultimate velocities of the fragment for 8 and 6 mm thick carbon fiber composite target were 351.9 and 264.6 m/s, respectively. Behind-armor damage area of the fragment impacted on the 8 mm thick carbon fiber composite target was larger than that of the 6 mm thick carbon fiber target under the same impact velocity. The difference of behind-armor damage area impacted on 8 and 6 mm thick carbon fiber composite targets decreased with the increase of the impact velocity. The behind-armor damage ability of the fragment impacting on the carbon fiber composite target increased with the increase of the impact velocity.