Experimental investigation of the penetration and perforation of building materials by projectiles

The penetration and perforation of aluminum and steel targets by high-strength projectiles, such as tungsten-alloy rods, have been investigated extensively in the past. Accordingly, a large amount of data exists, allowing for a detailed modeling of projectile effects against metallic semi-infinite and finite-thickness targets. Recently, however, the interest in characterizing the response of building materials toward projectile impact has increased. As results for concrete, sand and a few other target materials are available in the literature, the present investigation focuses on targets consisting of adobe bricks. In the conducted ballistic experiments, the residual projectile velocities behind a perforated target have been determined as a function of impact velocity for tungsten-alloy rod penetrators. For spheres, depth-of-penetration tests have been performed. The actual target densities and strengths have been verified by material testing. We interpret the experimental ballistic results with the help of simple analytic plate-plugging models and force law approaches.