Ballistic impact on ceramic-composite tiles: experimental and numerical investigation

The aim of this work is the study of a numerical model able to reproduce the ballistic impact of a tungsten impactor over a ceramic-composite target. Impact of blunt shaped tungsten bullet against ceramic (Alumina 99) - composite (Kevlar29) tile is investigated in the present activities. Experimental tests have been carried out using a gas-gun. A comprehensive 3D numerical model has been built in LS-DYNA exploiting previous investigations developed for each materials. Details of the failure criteria and their numerical implementation are described as well as the interaction between the two armours (ceramic and composite). Comparisons of numerical analyses with ballistic experiments will be presented and discussed with the focus on experimentally observed fracture patterns.