Numerical Analysis of Penetration Resistance Effects of Metal Matrix Composite Reinforcing in Spaced and Direct Configurations

Towards the pursuit of furthering the understanding of lightweight penetration resistant systems a study regarding metal matrix composite materials in penetration resistant configurations is considered. The metal matrix composite, MMC, studied is Al 6061/SiC and has a density very similar to homogeneous aluminum which is of interest when considering lightweight resistant systems. This effort seeks to by numerical analysis of experimentally validated models determine the effect of MMC inclusion in a system and additionally the effect of different configurations on the performance of the total system. This study focused on common reinforcement applications on aluminum base material targets. While the MMC reinforcement consistently displayed an improvement to the resistance of the system, there was not a significant difference in the resistance of the different configurations.https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/fea/1002/thumbnail.jp