Energy absorption capability and deformation of laminated panels for armoured vehicle materials

This paper investigates the computational-based deformation and energy absorption capability of laminated metal panels composed of high-strength steel and aluminium alloy under low-velocity impact. Layering aluminium alloy plates with high-strength steel has become of interest for reducing the overall density of armoured vehicle bodies while improving the ballistic resistance. In order to enhance the attractiveness of laminated plate construction, it is essential to study the strength of the two different metals in a laminated panel under low-velocity impact before performing a ballistic impact. Two types of laminated panels were constructed: two-layer and three-layer configurations. Both were oriented transverse to the loading axis and solved using quasi-static analysis. The deformation behaviour of these panels was studied and the energy absorption capacities were quantified. The results showed that the energy absorption capacities of the laminated panels were on average 220% higher in the three-layer configuration panels compared to in the two-layer configuration panels. The deformation lengths in the three-layer configuration panels were on average 22% smaller than those of the two-layer configuration panels with 25% to 30% weight reduction. The best three-layer configuration panel will be used later for investigating a suitable combination panel for armoured vehicles subjected to ballistic impact