Experimental study on spall behavior of single and multi-plate composites behind armor subjected to shaped charge

Spall behavior of single and multi-layered hybrid composite structures behind armor was investigated by using shaped charge. Firstly, spall cone angles of Aluminum 5083-H116 and rolled homogeneous armor (RHA) steel as base armor materials were determined without any composite to select base armor. The single and multi-plates composite samples were produced by using S2 glass plain fabric, Kevlar plain fabric and hybrid Carbon-Kevlar twill fabric and epoxy resin system. After that, composite samples were placed behind the selected base armor plates with different distance in between them. The changes of spall cone angle, spall diameter, and penetrated area after shaped charge penetration were determined and analyzed in terms of both material configuration and distance behind the armor plates. As a result, increasing the behind armor distance reduces the jetting area and thus spall distribution decreases. In addition, it can be recommended to use hybrid 1 and 50 mm behind armor distance by evaluating both spall distribution and in-vehicle volume restriction.