Ballistic protection performance of a free ceramic particle armor system: An experimental investigation

Abstract

Abstract In this work, the ballistic protection performance of a free ceramic particle armor (FCPA) system was experimentally investigated. The armor system was designed by free ceramic balls in between two outer plates. 9\xa0×\xa019 mm Parabellum pistol cartridges and 0.3 caliber fragment-simulating projectiles (FSP) were used to investigate effects of armor thickness on the ballistic performance. The observed results showed that the designed free ceramic particle armor system is a promising candidate for ballistic protection applications in terms of high strength-to-weight ratio, excellent energy absorption, and mechanical properties.