Experimental study of agglomerated-cork-cored structures subjected to ballistic impacts

The present paper examines the high-velocity impact behaviour of agglomerated cork-cored structures. The ballistic performance was studied by impact-perforation tests. Three different types of specimens were tested: an agglomerated cork, two spaced thin aluminium plates, and a pair of thin aluminium plates separated by an agglomerated-cork core. The behaviour of the agglomerated cork and the effects of the cork core were analysed in terms of the ballistic limit, residual velocity, and energy absorption. The ballistic limit of cork-cored structures increased slightly, whereas the absorbed energy was strongly augmented by the presence of the cork core.The Spanish Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (Project HP2006-0024) and the Portuguese Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superio