Modeling projectile impact onto prestressed ceramic targets

Abstract
This work presents computed results for the responses of ceramic targets, with and without prestress, subjected to projectile impact. Also presented is a computational technique to include prestress. Ceramic materials have been considered for armor applications for many years because of their high strength and low density. Many researchers have demonstrated that providing confinement enhances the ballistic performance of ceramic targets. More recently, prestressing the ceramic is being considered as an additional enhancement technique. This work investigates the effect of prestressing the ceramic for both thin and thick target configurations subjected to projectile impact. In all cases the targets with ceramic prestress provided enhanced ballistic performance. The computed results indicate that prestressed ceramic reduces and/or delays failure, resulting in improved ceramic performance and ballistic efficiency.