Study of the transparent armor strength under a high-speed impact of a cylindrical impactor by computer modeling method

When manufacturing transparent multilayer armor of high threat level, the reinforced silicate glass and transparent ceramics with protecting back films are usually used. The hardness of the front layer of the shield should be much higher than that of the impactor. A promising option is the use of a single leucosapphire crystal. However, due to its high cost and the impossibility of providing large-sized samples, the transparent polycrystalline materials are developed. One of the most advanced materials is ALON, which is close to leucosapphire in strength characteristics.
The aim of this work is to develop a mathematical model to calculate the impact interaction of fragmentation elements with transparent armor. The numerical study is carried out using proprietary software systems.
Calculations of the high-speed impact of the steel cylindrical impactor are implemented for three types of shields made of transparent armor. The first two-layer target is made of 20 mm thick tempered glass and a 4 mm thick polycarbonate layer. The second and third targets are three-layered. The front layer of the second target is made of ALON, and the spinel is used for the third one. The second and third layers in these targets are made of tempered glass and polycarbonate, respectively. The calculated results show that ALON is the most impact-resistant material, while spinel is a little less resistant.