RESUMO
Aluminum matrix composites (AMMCs) have demonstrated substantial potential in the realm of armor protection due to their favorable properties, including low density, high specific stiffness, and high specific strength. These composites are widely employed as structural components and frequently encounter high strain rate loading conditions, including explosions and penetrations during service. And it is crucial to note that under dynamic conditions, these composites exhibit distinct mechanical properties and failure mechanisms compared to static conditions. Therefore, a thorough investigation into the dynamic mechanical behavior of aluminum matrix composites and precise constitutive equations are imperative to advance their application in armor protection. This review aims to explore the mechanical properties, strengthening the mechanism and deformation damage mechanism of AMMCs under high strain rate. To facilitate a comprehensive understanding, various constitutive equations are explored, including phenomenological constitutive equations, those with physical significance, and those based on artificial neural networks. This article provides a critical review of the reported work in this field, aiming to analyze the main challenges and future development directions of aluminum matrix composites in the field of protection.
RESUMO
In this study, Al-B4C/Al laminated composites with high interlayer bonding strength were fabricated by integrated hot-pressed sintering accompanied with hot rolling. The mechanical properties and interface behavior of the Al-B4C/Al laminated composites were investigated under quasi-static and impact loading. The results show that the Al-B4C/Al laminated composites obtain a high interface bonding strength, because no interlayer delamination occurs even after fractures under quasi-static and impact loads. The Al-B4C/Al laminated composites exhibit a better comprehensive mechanical performance, and the fracture can be delayed due to the high bonding strength interface. Moreover, laminated composites can absorb more impact energy than the monolithic material under impact loading due to the stress transition and relaxation.
RESUMO
Ceramic panel collapse will easily lead to the failure of traditional targets. One strategy to solve this problem is to use separate ceramic units as armor panels. Based on this idea, we propose an aluminum matrix composite using pressure infiltration, containing an array of ceramic balls, the reinforcement of which consists of centimeter-scale SiC balls and micron-scale B4C particles. Three different array layouts were designed and fabricated: compact balls in the front panel (F-C), non-compact balls in the front panel (F-NC), and compact balls inside the target (I-C). The penetration resistance properties were tested using a 12.7 mm armor-piercing incendiary (API). The results show that there are no significant internal defects, and the ceramic balls are well-bonded with the matrix composite. The F-NC structure behaves the best penetration resistance with minimal overall damage; the I-C structure has a large area of spalling and the most serious damage. Finite element simulation reveals that the ceramic balls play a major role in projectile erosion; in the non-compact structure, the composite materials between the ceramic balls can effectively disperse the stress, thereby avoiding the damage caused by direct contact between ceramic balls and improving the efficiency of ceramic ball erosion projectiles. Furthermore, it is essential to have a certain thickness of supporting materials to prevent spalling failure caused by stress wave transmission during penetration. This multi-scale composite exhibits excellent ballistic performance, providing valuable insights for developing anti-penetration composite armor in future applications.
