2013-2014 Assessment of the Army Research Laboratory Interim Report (2014) / Chapter Skim
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2 Ballistics Sciences: Terminal Ballistics
2 Ballistics Sciences: Terminal Ballistics
Pages 14-31
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From page 14... ...
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ADVANCEMENTS The Army Research Laboratory has a strong record of achievement and timely support of the warfighter in developing advanced capabilities for defeating many types of enemy targets and platforms over many years, and the recent and ongoing work described in the review of terminal ballistics demonstrated how ARL continues to build on its tradition of excellence in protecting the warfighter. The review was divided into topic areas, including technical keynote presentations and posters covering materials for terminal ballistics, penetration mechanics, humans in extreme ballistic environments, and computational terminal ballistics.
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From page 15... ...
For example, investigation of next-generation aluminum alloy armor and the evolution of the Eglin armor steel are both promising research topics. Aluminum alloy armor design and the materials manufacturing technology of these alloys with superior ballistic performance are key to controlling material and fabrication costs while supporting lighter weight technologies for the Army.
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From page 16... ...
Quantification of the relationships among microstructure, defect type and distribution of nondestructive characterization data, and ballistic behavior in armor ceramic materials is a laudable goal if used to support lot-acceptance testing for ceramic armor components. This nondestructive testing needs to be closely tied with both traditional ballistic testing and postmortem material damage analysis.
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From page 17... ...
Techniques being addressed include high-speed flash x-ray cineradiography, proton radiography, x-ray phase contrast imaging, and multicolor flash x-ray computed tomography that has the potential to resolve multiple materials in a reconstructed 3D space that is critical to predictive model development. This effort can be expected to enhance ARL capabilities important to advancing fundamental understanding of impact/penetration phenomena and is strongly encouraged.
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From page 18... ...
Composite model development to support ballistics predictive capability is being pursued via numerical models aimed at understanding how the woven portion of the armor package can be optimized to increase penetration resistance. This research specifically addresses implementation of a woven fabric model to simulate the response of soft armor to the impact of a debris cloud generated by buried charge, such as that from an improvised explosive device (IED)
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From page 19... ...
The integrated approach for improving low-velocity-impact head protection via an ARL-developed finite-element model (FEM) for head impacts while wearing a helmet is clearly responsive to a key Army priority; such low-velocity impacts may be a result of falling or of exposure to an explosive event.
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From page 20... ...
Without more analysis of the Army modeling efforts and plans, one cannot discern the absolute necessity for such data nor the degree of accuracy required, but it seems certain that competence in this area is vital for the military. ARL is encouraged to continue to explore both experimental techniques/diagnostics and constitutive model development in the area of tissue mechanical behavior.
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From page 21... ...
This project exemplifies how ARL is utilizing and extending the best National Nuclear Security Administration modeling tools to address Army mission projects and deliverables. Coupling of these predictive tools with the combat vehicle vulnerability analysis modeling appears to be an area where a game-changing predictive modeling tool suite could be developed; it could positively impact phenomenological and operational system implementation and performance modeling of the future ground combat vehicle (GCV)
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From page 22... ...
In the vehicle protection armor modeling project, the goal is to explore armor concepts using modeling and simulation to gain a fundamental understanding of the mechanisms at work and how ARL can exploit them to defeat current and future threats to Army platforms. Proven modeling and simulation tools can be extremely useful in exploring advanced armor concepts.
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From page 23... ...
To implement the architecture suggested by 3D composite modeling, it will be important to strategically address the development of weaving capability within ARL. OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES An important overarching consideration in assessing specific research activities ongoing at ARL is whether the work can reasonably be expected to solve short-term critical warfighter needs encountered in theatre or is focused on the long term to have some potential to make a significant contribution to the eventual development of advanced capabilities important to meeting the operational Army's warfighting, peacekeeping, and perhaps other mission needs.
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From page 24... ...
Better characterizing and qualifying the materials ARL receives from various suppliers will help to make engineered systems deliver the expected performance. It is important to identify the microstructural features to measure and the property or properties in next-generation aluminum alloy armor that correlate with ballistic performance.
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From page 25... ...
The project on ceramic microstructures for enhanced ballistic protection appeared to be retreading old ground. The work has shown that ceramics with fine grain size and IGFs have better ballistic performances than those with coarser grain sizes and limited or no IGFs.
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From page 26... ...
It is necessary that a strategic overview of this topic be undertaken. Ceramic material model development is an activity of critical importance at ARL if it can lead to creation of a predictive modeling capability for application of ceramics and other materials in Army armor and lethality systems.
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From page 27... ...
The researchers on the project on tailored mechanisms for light armor ballistics articulated the goal: to develop a fundamental understanding of the deformation mechanisms and failure processes active under shock loading conditions for light armor materials such as aluminum and magnesium and then, using key discoveries, to control ballistic performance. Dynamic fracture testing, using plate impact assemblies, was conducted on as-received 1100-O aluminum cold-rolled to 30, 70, and 80 percent 27
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From page 28... ...
Humans in Extreme Ballistic Environments The strategic, integrated system approaches to both the warrior injury assessment manikin (WIAMan) and humans in extreme ballistic environments seem headed toward significant near-term improvements in soldier protection.
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From page 29... ...
Computational Terminal Ballistics The computational terminal ballistics presentation could have been made more effective by systematically addressing the modeling of kinetic energy penetrators, shaped-charge warheads, and EFPs in sequence -- specifically, stressing the differences in their lethal penetration mechanisms and clarifying why each type of penetrator is effective against certain targets. This would have effectively set the stage for the blast and ballistic protection overview that followed the presentation.
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From page 30... ...
Researchers on the project on armor material modeling and optimization stated that their goal was to determine which material properties have the most significant influence on ballistic performance of lightweight military specification metals; they noted that the goal will be realized by taking a design-ofexperiments approach to modeling and simulation. Overall, the optimization effort seems sound, but to have an impact it will be important to translate the findings to the materials community for implementation.
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From page 31... ...
proton radiography facilities and applied LLNL's photon doppler velocimetry techniques. The observation of penetration phenomena at ever-smaller scales and faster times is crucial to the development of predictive modeling capability in the area of terminal ballistics and penetration mechanics.
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