Influence of compressive strength, fiber reinforcement, and thickness on spall and breach performance of concrete elements impacted with high-aspect-ratio fragments

•Increased thickness results in less breached area when impacted by a plate fragment.•Increased compressive strength increases volume of spall but decreases breach response due to plate fragment impact.•Fiber reinforcement notably reduced the breach and spall due to plate fragment impact.•Existing methodologies do not accurately predict plate fragment penetration depth.•Existing methodologies do no accurately predict depth required to prevent spall. Concrete specimens were subjected to impact from a high-aspect-ratio fragment to illustrate and quantify the effect of compressive strength, thickness, and fiber reinforcement on spall and breach performance. Thickness was found to affect the transition between breaching and spalling, with thicker specimens producing less breached area and eventually only spall. Greater compressive strength was found to produce increased spall response. However, when breach occurred, greater concrete compressive strength meaningfully decreased the breach area. The inclusion of fiber reinforcement notably decreased the breach and spall responses of reinforced concrete elements impacted by a high-aspect-ratio fragment.