Numerical Study on Performance Evaluation of Alumina 99.6%, Kevlar®, Aluminium Composite Armour Panels

Abstract

The current study is focused on evaluating the effectiveness of composite armour made from ceramic, fabric and metal, employing various configurations. Additionally, it incorporates Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) analysis to compare the performance of different configurations of composite armour plates having 20 mm thickness against high-velocity hard steel core armour-piercing projectiles, particularly for vehicle armour applications. The ceramic component of the armour comprises hardened alumina (99.6%), Kevlar^® fabric-based fibre-matrix composites, and an epoxy blend reinforced with carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The design of the armour prioritized maintaining a ceramic tile as the frontal impact surface, complemented by an aluminium (Al 2024-T3) plate and a CNT-reinforced Kevlar^® composite on the rear. The armour was engineered as a functionally graded composite material with varying levels of hardness and toughness. To ensure equitable comparison across armour plates, the total thickness of the composite was consistently set at 20 mm, and its performance was assessed under two distinct impact velocities: 725 and 550 m/s. A multi-criterion based decision-making (MCDM) approach was employed to comprehensively analyse the armour’s performance across multiple parameters. The study shows that the stacking sequence of the materials significantly alters the ballistic resistance of composite panel despite possessing similar arial density. Also, Certain configurations outperforms others despite having lesser arial density.