Experimental-numerical study on ballistic impact behavior of 316L austenitic stainless steel plates against blunt and ogival projectiles

316L austenitic stainless steel (ASS) is the standard reference material in fabricating pressurized hydrogen storage tanks due to its low hydrogen embrittlement sensitivity and excellent corrosion resistance. Ballistic performance of such tanks is of course a concern of safety. In this study, ballistic impact behavior of 316L ASS was studied against blunt and ogival nose shaped projectiles within impact velocity range of 160.3–324.1 m/s. Ballistic impact behavior of 316L ASS is sensitive to nose shapes of projectiles. For targets against blunt projectile, shear plugging with ejected plugs is observed, and target deflection is limited; for targets against ogival projectile, failure mode is ductile hole enlargement, small bulge and some fragments are observed on front and rear sides of targets, respectively. Ballistic limit velocities (BLVs) for two projectiles are respectively 180.9 m/s and 333.5 m/s, indicating better energy absorption against ogival projectile. Numerical simulations of ballistic impact tests were carried out using either the Lode independent MJC or the Lode dependent modified Mohr-Coulomb (MMC) fracture criterion. Numerical prediction by the latter is more accurate than the former as ballistic impact tests are dominated by stress state where Lode parameter is strong enough to cause a big difference between MMC and MJC criteria, and fracture behavior is accurately predicted by the latter but overestimated by the former.