Improved ballistic limit velocity from filament-wound fibres as composite cover on ceramic tiles

Abstract

Hard armour plates are used in body armour for protection against high-velocity threats. The strike face often consists of a single ceramic tile that is covered by a sheet material made of a high-tenacity fibre-composite material. During impact, the ceramic will fracture but at the same time cause erosion and fragmentation of the hard core of the projectile. The composite cover is there to improve the ballistic performance by partly maintaining the integrity of the fracturing ceramic. In this study, a new production method where glass fibre yarns were filament-wound around an alumina tile in a unidirectional 0°/90° lay-up, was investigated. Ballistic testing was conducted with a 7.62 mm armour piercing projectile. The new target design gave a remarkable increase in the V50 ballistic limit velocity by as much as 16% compared to a traditional design where a glass fibre fabric was wrapped around the tile. A higher degree of fragmentation of the projectile steel core after perforation was also observed. The high degree of fibre alignment in the filament-wound composite, as opposed to the more wavy fibres in the fabric, is believed to be the main reason for the higher ballistic performance.