Ballistic performance of armour ceramics: Influence of design and structure. Part 2

Autores: Medvedovski, E.
Fuente: Ceram. Int.
36 (7), 2117-2127
2010

The use of advanced ceramics for armour systems allows the defeating of the projectile and ballistic impact energy dissipation providing adequate ballistic protection. The development of lightweight and inexpensive ceramics and armour designs is under ongoing attention by both ceramic armour manufacturers and armour users. This paper summarizes the results of extensive studies of ballistic performance of different armour ceramics, mostly obtained during development, as well as of the materials manufactured by other recognized armour ceramic suppliers, and the designed ceramic-based armour systems. The studied armour ceramics include homogeneous oxide and carbide ceramics and heterogeneous ceramic materials. Ballistic performance of the studied ceramics as function of their structure and properties, armour system design and type of projectile has been discussed. Depending on the requirements for ballistic protection, armour systems may be designed to various configurations and weights based on the most suitable ceramic materials and backing. The examples of successful designs of lightweight armour systems with adequate ballistic performance, including satisfactory multi-hit performance, have been demonstrated.