Ballistic perforation resistance of elastomer-metal laminate plates

This study investigates the effect of polyurea coating on the ballistic resistance of polyurea-steel laminate plates. Ballistic tests are carried out to compare the residual velocities and failure modes of the monolithic steel plate and polyurea-steel laminate plates on an equal mass basis. Experimental results show that polyurea coating could lead to an enhanced ballistic resistance of the laminate plate (with 5.2% greater ballistic limit velocity), but only when applied at the impact-receiving face. Finite element simulations are performed to provide insights into the penetration process and the energy partitioning to reveal the enhancing mechanisms of the frontal polyurea coating. Excellent agreement was obtained between the numerical simulations and the experimental results. Simulation results suggest that the frontal polyurea-coating has a cushioning effect to alleviate and redistribute the total contact force acting on the substrate steel layer, which helps to spread the local impact to a far-field response. The polyurea-coating on the impact-receiving face provides additional ballistic resistance by promoting greater energy dissipation of the steel layer through global deformation.