Experimental Study on the Perforation Process of 5754-H111 and 6082-T6 Aluminium Plates Subjected to Normal Impact by Conical, Hemispherical and Blunt Projectiles

This paper presents an experimental investigation on the perforation behaviour of 5754-H111 and 6082-T6 aluminium alloys. The mechanical response of these materials has been characterized in compression with strain rates in the range of \(10^{-3}~s^{-1} < \dot {\varepsilon } < 5 \cdot 10^{3}~s^{-1}\). Moreover, penetration tests have been conducted on 5754-H111 and 6082-T6 plates of \(4~mm\) thickness using conical, hemispherical and blunt projectiles. The perforation experiments covered impact velocities in the range of \(50~m/s < V_{0} < 200~m/s\). The initial and residual velocities of the projectile were measured and the ballistic limit velocity obtained for the two aluminium alloys for the different nose shapes. Failure mode and post-mortem deflection of the plates have been examined and the perforation mechanisms associated to each projectile/target configuration investigated. It has been shown that the energy absorption capacity of the impacted plates is the result of the collective role played by target material behaviour, projectile nose shape and impact velocity in the penetration mechanisms.