Armor Mechanics 

Southwest Research Institute® (SwRI®) has been involved in armor mechanics, armor concepts, and design and evaluation for over 30 years, including experimental, analytical, and computational studies. The staff is internationally recognized for their contributions to fundamental and applied understanding of penetration and armor mechanics.

An integrated approach—experimentation, numerical simulation, and analytical modeling—is used to investigate and solve fundamental and applied problems in armor mechanics, armor applications and armor design, including reactive and active armor systems. High-speed diagnostics and a wide variety of launchers are used to support experimental studies. A complementary high-rate materials laboratory allows material characterization and determination of computational constitutive constants.

Applications and Experience

Scale-model ceramic laminate (RHA / Al2O3 / RHA) targets

• Low-speed impact
• Small arms
• Anti-tank kinetic energy projectiles
• Chemical energy threats
• Armor efficiency assessment
• Evaluation of penetrator defeat mechanisms
• Testing of passive, reactive, and active armors

Armor Technologies

Types of Armor

• Monolithic
• Multi-material
• Multi-component
• Spaced plate
• Heavy
• Light

  Numerical simulation of a long-rod projectile against a spaced-armor array

• Reactive
• Active

Materials

• Metallics
• Ceramics
• Composites
• Fabrics
• Explosives
• Inert elements

Projectiles/Threats

• Long rods

  Flash x-ray of a long-rod projectile in flight (top); same projectile after impact to induce fracture (bottom)

• Medium caliber
  • 14.5 (B32, BS41)
  • 30-mm AP
  • 30-mm APDS
• Small arms
  • Rifle
  • Handgun
  • Armor-piercing
  • Ball
• FSPs
• Shaped charges

Defeat Mechanisms

• Target strength

  Damaged ceramic tile, impacted by a 7.62-mm APM2 bullet

• Obliquity
• Fracture
• Yaw
• Rotation
• Spaced elements
• Erosion
• Spreading the load

Applications

• Ballistic limit
• Ballistic protection design
• Concept evaluation
• Design improvements

Facilities

• Indoor ballistics range
• 20/30-mm high-performance gun system
• 50-mm high-performance cannon (impact velocities up to ~2.0 km/s)
• Outdoor test areas, up to 1000 yards
• Storage, handling, and application of explosives
• Fully equipped instrumentation trailer (high-speed data acquisition of pressure, strain, displacement, etc.)
• Flash radiography
• High-speed video (up to 60,000 frames per second)
• Ultra-high-speed digital imaging (up to 100 million frames per second)

Response of two types of aluminum alloys to impact by a lead-filled ball round

This flyer was published in April 2009. For more information about Armor Mechanics, contact Charles Anderson, Jr., Ph.D., (210) 522-2313 or Dr. J. D. Walker, Ph.D., (210) 522-2051, Mechanical Engineering Division, Southwest Research Institute, P.O. Drawer 28510, San Antonio, Texas 78228-0510.

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