Experimental and Numerical Analysis of Conical Projectile Impact on Inconel 718 Plates

Abstract

This paper analyses the impact behavior of Inconel 718 through experimental and numerical approach. Different conical projectiles were tested in order to obtain the ballistic curves and failure mechanisms. A three-dimensional (3D) numerical model corresponding to the experimental tests was developed using the Johnson–Cook constitutive model. The experimental data (residual velocities, global, and local perforation mechanisms) were successfully predicted with the numerical simulations. The influence of the projectile’s nose angle was found to be important when designing ballistic protections. The projectile with the narrowest angle, 40°, developed a ballistic limit approximately 10 m/s lower than the projectile with a 72° nose. The use of double-nose projectile for the same nose angle, 72°, led to a ballistic limit 12 m/s lower than that obtained for the single nose.