Investigation of Ballistic Impact Behaviour of SiC/ZTA Nano-Ceramics Backed by A UHMWPE Plate: Numerical Simulation and Experimental Validation

The present study reports the preparation of lightweight laminated composites plate; composed of a ceramic layer on Ultra High Molecular Wight Poly-Ethylene (UHMWPE) plate. The ceramic layer is formulated of nano-7.5 vol% SiC/zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA) composite. The performance of the sintered composite, Ceramic/UHMWPE plate, against high-speed projectiles was analysed. Impact tests were conducted on the composites with varying ceramic layer thicknesses using 7.62 × 39 mm API projectiles. Commercial autodyne 2D hydrodynamic-code was used to simulate and estimate the penetration style to prognosticate the optimum thickness of the ceramic layer that yielded better ballistic performance. Ballistic test results revealed that the proposed amour decreased the areal density by at least 48% compared to Armox 500 steel plate. The SiC/ZTA nanoceramic layer played a major role in energy absorption during penetration since the core of the projectile is armour-piercing type. The prepared composites have the potential to be used mainly as protective armour from high-speed projectiles, as an stand-alone plate, or vehicles light armour.