Numerical Prediction of Ballistic Performance of Thin Concrete Plate

Abstract

This research explores the ability of 60[Formula: see text]mm thick reinforced concrete (RC) plates to resist impacts from ogive-nosed hard steel projectiles. The projectiles used in the present study have a diameter of 19[Formula: see text]mm, a length of 200[Formula: see text]mm, and a mass of 0.4[Formula: see text]kg impacted on the RC plates with incident velocities ranging from 92[Formula: see text]m/s to 161[Formula: see text]m/s. Numerical simulations were conducted using ABAQUS/Explicit finite element software to validate the experimental results. The Holmquist–Johnson–Cook (HJC) material model was employed to simulate the constitutive behavior of concrete, while the Johnson–Cook (JC) material model was used to simulate the material response of reinforcing steel bars. The residual velocities obtained from the simulations closely matched the actual experimental results, showing a polynomial correlation with the incidence velocities of the projectiles. Moreover, the experimentally and numerically determined ballistic limit for the 60[Formula: see text]mm thick RC plate was found to be 108[Formula: see text]m/s and 109.5[Formula: see text]m/s, respectively. In contrast, the ballistic limit calculated using empirical mathematical expressions was 107.4[Formula: see text]m/s. This alignment between predicted, calculated, and actual ballistic limits underscores the reliability and accuracy of both numerical and empirical approaches.