Armament Development Authority

Stress histories in multilayered composite targets were recorded using manganin gages in plane impact powder gun experiments. The results exhibit an interesting resonance behavior due to the multiple wave reflections in the layers. This phenomenon is well known in com-posites with periodic structure near the linear elastic region, but was not expected to be important at higher stresses, contrary to our results. Elasto-plastic calculations carried out with a finite difference pseudo-viscosity hydro-code did reproduce the experimental result and helped us to better understand the mechanism of shock wave propagation in the composites. 1. SCOPE HE STUDY OF the behavior of composites under impact is motivated by the T increased role of these materials in aeronautical design. This may be related to the collision of a supersonic plane with a flying object or to rain and dust erosion. Our final objective is the study of multidimensional wave propagation in layered composites. The current paper deals with the shock propagation perpendicular to the layers