Ballistic performance of composite metal foam against large caliber threats

The goal of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of Composite Metal Foam (CMF) armors against 0.50 caliber ballistic threats. A hard armor was manufactured using a sandwich panel construction consisting of a ceramic faceplate, a CMF core, and a thin aluminum back plate. The hard armor system was tested against 0.50 caliber (12.7 x 99 mm) ball and armor piercing (AP) rounds. The CMF armors were tested with a variety of areal densities at impact velocities between 500 and 885 m/s. The armors stopped the threats at speeds up to 819 m/s without penetration. The CMF layer was found to absorb 73-76% and 69-79% of the kinetic energy of the ball and AP round respectively. When compared to rolled homogeneous steel armor (RHA), the CMF hard armors, in their current unoptimized condition, have a mass efficiency ratio of approximately 2.1. The CMF armor offers a much needed weight savings without sacrificing protection. Finite element analysis was completed using ANSYS/AUTODYN Explicit Dynamics solver to study the material interactions and impact. The results are shown to be in good agreement with the experimental findings.