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A Comparative Study on the Ballistic Performance and Failure Mechanisms of High-Nitrogen Steel and RHA Steel Against Tungsten Heavy Alloy Penetrators

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Abstract

Traditionally, medium-carbon, low-alloy steels with tempered martensitic microstructures are widely used in structural armor applications. There have been continuous attempts to develop alternative structural armor materials that can provide further weight reduction of armored vehicles. In this context, high-nitrogen steel (HNS) plates with austenitic microstructures were studied against a full-scale tungsten heavy alloy penetrator (500 mm in length and 25 mm in diameter), and the results were compared with those of rolled homogeneous armor steels with tempered martensitic microstructures. The ballistic trials on HNS and RHA steel plates were carried out against a WHA penetrator at velocities of 1630 ± 20 m/s (at a 0° angle of attack and a distance of 100 m) to determine the depth of penetration. HNS exhibited higher ballistic performance (i.e., a lower normalized depth of penetration) against WHA long-rod projectiles than RHA steel. The ballistic results were analyzed with the help of the initial mechanical properties and operating failure mechanisms. The better ballistic performance of HNS against tungsten heavy alloy can be primarily attributed to its higher dynamic flow stress. Post-ballistic hardness measurements on crater cross sections indicated that a higher volume of material was involved in energy dissipation in the HNS target than in the RHA steel target. Microstructural analysis showed that adiabatic shear band-induced cracking played an important role in the failure of both steel targets.

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The data of this present work is part of another ongoing work. Hence data cannot be provided at this point of time.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Director, DMRL for giving permission to publish this paper. The authors thank DRDO, Govt of India for funding this work. The authors thank MBG, EMG and high strain rate testing team of ADDD for their support in the experimental work. The authors thank PXE, Balasore for their support in long-rod penetrator firing trials. The authors BBS and G.S would like to thank Mr. P. Ponguru Senthil for fruitful discussions.

Funding

The authors acknowledge funding from DRDO,Govt of India for this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Armour Design and Development Division, Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory, Kanchanbagh, Hyderabad, 500058, India

    B. Bhav Singh, G. Sukumar, Ashish Paman, G. Balaji, K. Siva Kumar & V. Madhu

  2. National Institute of Technology, Warangal, India

    B. Bhav Singh & R. Arockia Kumar

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  1. B. Bhav Singh
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  2. G. Sukumar
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  3. Ashish Paman
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  4. G. Balaji
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  5. K. Siva Kumar
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  6. V. Madhu
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Contributions

BBS: Planning, Experiments, Data Analysis, Manuscript Preparation. G.Sukumar-Experiments, Data Analysis, constitutive modelling. AP: Constitutive modelling, Numerical Simulation. GB: Experiments. KSK: Supervising and Guidance. VM: Overall Planning, Analysis of Data, Guidance. RAK: Supervising, Analysis of Data and Guidance.

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Correspondence to G. Sukumar.

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Singh, B.B., Sukumar, G., Paman, A. et al. A Comparative Study on the Ballistic Performance and Failure Mechanisms of High-Nitrogen Steel and RHA Steel Against Tungsten Heavy Alloy Penetrators. J. dynamic behavior mater. 7, 60–80 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40870-020-00270-8

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