Design and impact resistance evaluation of modular ceramic armor

This study proposes a novel modular ceramic armor structure designed to mitigate crack propagation through staggered hexagonal ceramic modules, which confine crack paths to local regions, thereby enhancing multi-hit resistance. The armor system was optimized through finite element simulations using ABAQUS/Explicit, integrating the JH-2 constitutive mode for silicon carbide (SiC) modules and ductile damage criteria for the back plate made of Al alloy. Ballistic simulations at 300 m/s were executed across five critical impact zones (module centers, single/multi-joint interfaces) to evaluate penetration resistance. Results demonstrate the superior performance of the modular design, achieving a maximum residual velocity reduction of 24.1% compared to monolithic plates of equivalent volume.