Characterization and evaluation of silicon carbide for high-velocity impact

This article presents a characterization and evaluation of silicon carbide for high-velocity impact. This includes a wide range of loading conditions that produce large strains, high strain rates, and high pressures. Experimental data from the literature are used to determine constants for the Johnson–Holmquist–Beissel (JHB) constitutive model for brittle materials. A previous article by the authors presented a characterization of silicon carbide for high-velocity impact using an earlier version of the model (JH-1). The previous work provided good agreement with a broad range of experimental data with the exception of high-velocity penetration data. The current work uses the more recently developed JHB constitutive model, a target geometry that more closely matches the experimental design, and a computational technique that allows for target prestress. These recent developments (primarily the prestress) produce computed results that agree with all the experimental data, including the high-velocity penetration data. The computed results also provide a detailed analysis of the penetration process into a prestressed target and show why it is necessary to include the target prestress. A specific result is the ability to reproduce the nonsteady penetration rate that occurs in the prestressed target.