A Comparative Study on the Ballistic Performance and Failure Mechanisms of High-Nitrogen Steel and RHA Steel Against Tun
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RESEARCH PAPER
A Comparative Study on the Ballistic Performance and Failure Mechanisms of High‑Nitrogen Steel and RHA Steel Against Tungsten Heavy Alloy Penetrators B. Bhav Singh1,2 · G. Sukumar1 · Ashish Paman1 · G. Balaji1 · K. Siva Kumar1 · V. Madhu1 · R. Arockia Kumar2 Received: 4 May 2020 / Accepted: 3 September 2020 © Society for Experimental Mechanics, Inc 2020
Abstract Traditionally, medium-carbon, low-alloy steels with tempered martensitic microstructures are widely used in structural armor applications. There have been continuous attempts to develop alternative structural armor materials that can provide further weight reduction of armored vehicles. In this context, high-nitrogen steel (HNS) plates with austenitic microstructures were studied against a full-scale tungsten heavy alloy penetrator (500 mm in length and 25 mm in diameter), and the results were compared with those of rolled homogeneous armor steels with tempered martensitic microstructures. The ballistic trials on HNS and RHA steel plates were carried out against a WHA penetrator at velocities of 1630 ± 20 m/s (at a 0° angle of attack and a distance of 100 m) to determine the depth of penetration. HNS exhibited higher ballistic performance (i.e., a lower normalized depth of penetration) against WHA long-rod projectiles than RHA steel. The ballistic results were analyzed with the help of the initial mechanical properties and operating failure mechanisms. The better ballistic performance of HNS against tungsten heavy alloy can be primarily attributed to its higher dynamic flow stress. Post-ballistic hardness measurements on crater cross sections indicated that a higher volume of material was involved in energy dissipation in the HNS target than in the RHA steel target. Microstructural analysis showed that adiabatic shear band-induced cracking played an important role in the failure of both steel targets. Keywords Rolled homogeneous armor (RHA) steel · High-nitrogen steel · Failure mechanisms · Ballistic performance · Tungsten heavy alloy · Adiabatic shear bands
Introduction The development of advanced materials with superior ballistic impact resistance is an important requirement for the design of armored vehicles with improved mobility. Traditionally, the structure of an armored vehicle is manufactured with metallic alloys, particularly with medium-carbon, lowalloy steels (Ni–Cr–Mo steels) and aluminum alloys. The advantages of using metallic alloys for structural applications include good welding characteristics, good formability, good corrosion resistance and, more importantly, lower * G. Sukumar [email protected] 1
Armour Design and Development Division, Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory, Kanchanbagh, Hyderabad 500058, India
National Institute of Technology, Warangal, India
2
manufacturing costs. While medium-carbon, low-alloy steels continue to dominate structural armor applications, there is always a demand to develop newer materials with enhanced ballistic performance for further weight reduction. The ballistic p
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