Ballistic Resistance of 2D & 3D Woven Sandwich Composites

In the present study, ballistic resistance of sandwich composite structures for vehicle armor panel applications was investigated. The core material of the sandwich structure was a layer of Alumina ceramic and a layer of composite backing, sandwiched between 2D plain weave composite skins. The ballistic performance of sandwich materials with 3D backing was compared to the baseline 2D plain weave backed composites. An IMACON 200 high-speed camera was used to obtain high-speed photographs of the ballistic events of penetration and damage. These images were analyzed to study real time damage mechanism of the strike face surface of several targets and subsequently to obtain average resistive force of target points during impact. Velocities of projectile (armor piercing bullets) were recorded in all the experiments and were found to be in the range of 915 – 975 m/s. Post mortem analyses, which included sectioning of panel, were performed. Results showed that armor panels with 3D woven backing had a higher ballistic efficiency than the 2D baseline panels, strike face damage mechanics were predominantly axi-symmetric about the impact point and panels with 3D backing had controlled delamination and fewer complete penetrations.