Non-metallic materials in
military engineering
Group 3
Brief history
Ceramics Armor
CONTENTS Case Study: Composite
Amored
Prospect and
Conclusion
Evolution of military
amored materials
Evolution of military armor
History of body armored materials
Armor systems is the core in military. Military personnels
and vehicles are almost always reinforeced with armor.
Metallic armors (bronze, iron, steels) were widely used in
the past.
Transitioned to alloys and now non-metallic
source: 10.1002/ces2.10176
Evolution of military armor
Fiber-reinfored Polymer Hybrid Ceramic–Polymer
e.g: Carbon fiber, glass fiber, Aramid e.g: Ceramic–polymer (e.g. SiC + UHMWPE). Pros:
(Kevlar, Twaron). Pros: High tensile Tailored hardness and flexibility, Lightweight with high
strength, good toughness. Cons: ballistic limit.
Ceramics armor Glass and Transparent Armor Materials
e.g. alumina, silicon carbide, boron Optical protection with ballistic resistance. e.g:
carbide. Pros: High hardeness Laminated glass, Polycarbonate composites. Pros:
compressive strength and light optical clarity, Resistant to scratches and temperature
weight. Cons: Brittle
Evolution of military armor
Why Ceramics
Purpose and Core Function
placed on the striked face, destroying
the porjectile on impact and dispersing
kinetic engergy over a wider area
source: Ceramics materials for Military Body and Vehicle
Armor and Aerospace applications
Resists armor-piercing rounds
The ceramic’s extreme hardness (up to 30
GPa) blunts or breaks the projectile’s tip with
far less weight than steel
Study Case: Ceramics Armor
Ceramics Armor Analysis
The Physics behind Ceramics During the microsecond impact, Ceramic behaves
elastically up Hugoniot Elastic Limit (HEL), then failed
Stress and Strain Wave Relations
through mircro cracks. Stress limit of microfracture onset:
σ = stress in material
ρ = density of particle
c = longitudinal wave velocity
u = particle velocity.
Comment: As pressure increases via the bullet
impact, ceramics materials hit the HEL limit then
fractures.
Ceramics Armor Analysis
projectile impact with ceramic layer
Source: 10.1002/ces2.10176
Comment: On impact, the ceramic layer blunts and fractures
the projectile while forming a conical fracture zone. This
Typical personnel armor system spreads the stress over a wider area, allowing the backing
Source: 10.1002/ces2.10176 layer to absorb residual energy — a key reason ceramic
armor offers high protection at low weight.
Ceramics Armor Analysis
The Physics behind Ceramics
Case Study: Protective performance of ceramic materials
against the high-speed penetration of projectiles
C-RPC (ceramic-reactive powder concrete) composite are
used to test penetration of a bullet with speed was
between 1743.2 m/s and 1803.9 m/s
Typical damage results of C-RPC target
source: 10.1155/2022/5257252
Ceramics Armor Analysis
The Physics behind Ceramics
Material depth vs projectile velocity
The graph shows both the experiments
and simulations results of the relationship
between the velocity and penetration
depths
Bullet description: machined from Bullet velocity vs Material Depth Stress experienced with different velocity
30CrMnSiNi2A steel rods
source: 10.1155/2022/5257252 source: 10.1155/2022/5257252 source: 10.1155/2022/5257252
Ceramics Armor Analysis
The Physics behind Ceramics
Layer thickness for each materials
Source: Ballistic Analysis of Composite Armor
Kinetic energy loss of the projectile after the initial
Energy loss for different material layer.
Source: Ballistic Analysis of Composite Armor
Ceramics Armor Analysis
Summary
Why ceramics are used in armor:
• high hardness, low density, and high compressive strength
(e.g: Boron Carbide, Silicon Carbide, Alumina (Aluminum
Oxide), etc). Ceramics armor destroy the projectile tip, while
fracturing to disperse impact energy.
• high hardness-to-weight ratio(specific strength) making them
ideal for lightweight armor applications.
• Limitation: Despite their hardness, ceramics are brittle
materials. Once reached the Hugoniot Elastic Limit (HEL) —
mircro fractures propagate and breaks the structure.
• Additionally, ceramics cannot absorb large tensile or bending Projectile impact progress in ceramics
stresses due to their low fracture toughness. Source: 10.1002/ces2.10176
• Ceramics are susceptible to mircrodefects during
manufacturing
Ceramic-Polymer composite
armor
Overcoming Ceramic Limitations
1. Brittleness and Elastic Limit 4. Manufacturing Defects
Ceramics are hard but fragile; once Micro-pores or inclusions weaken
stress exceeds the Hugoniot Elastic performance and cause
Limit, cracks propagate rapidly. unpredictable failures.
2. Low Fracture Toughness 5. Complex Shaping
They cannot absorb large tensile or Hard to mold or join; edges and
bending stresses, leading to seams become weak points.
shattering under impact.
3. Single-Hit Limitation 6. Dependence on Backing
Cracked zones lose structural Require polymer or composite
integrity, reducing multi-hit layers to absorb residual energy and
protection. hold fragments.
Polymer: Improvements
1. High Energy Absorption 4. Hybrid Armor Role
Polymers like Kevlar, UHMWPE, and In composite systems, ceramics
Dyneema absorb impact energy break the projectile while polymer
through fiber stretching instead of backings absorb residual energy —
fracturing. creating efficient synergy.
2. Multi-Hit Resistance 5. Easy Fabrication
Flexible layers remain functional Polymers are simple to mold and
after several impacts, limiting crack laminate, allowing curved shapes
growth and improving durability. and cost-effective designs.
3. Lightweight Protection 6. Environmental Stability
Low density greatly reduces armor They resist moisture, corrosion, and
weight, enhancing comfort and fatigue, ensuring long-term
mobility for users. reliability in diverse conditions.
Case Study: Composite Armor
Armor description
Using boron carbide as the outer layer
of 6.9 mm and 3.1 mm inner layer of
kevalar 49 as the inner layer (Heterington
method).
Simulation of armor and bullet
source: doi:10.1016
Bullet description Comment
45°conical–cylindrical steel projectile This is a simulation in ANSYS/LS-DYNA
has 30 mm length and 10 mm diameter. and it is crossed check with Chocron–
Impact velocity ranging from 300-1200 Gálvez (C-G) analytical model.
m/s.
Case Study: Composite Armor
Important definitions
Impact (strike) velocity
projectile speed at target impact.
Residual velocity
exit speed after puncture (0 if the
armor stops the bullet). Energy
relation used in the paper’s
analytical comparison:
Ballistic limit velocity
threshold speed at which the bullet
puncture “just” occurs.
Case Study: Composite Armor
Projectile impact at 300 m/s on armor at 5μs Projectile displacement after inital impact velocity
Source: doi:10.1016 Source: doi:10.1016
Projectile erosion begins Results
The Impact launches a compressive wave in the ceramic; The tips of the bullet erodes/blunts while creating a
it reflects as tensile and fractures the ceramic in the cone fracture in ceramic then the Energy of the
impact. blunt/fragmented bullet is spread across the armor.
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Prospect and Conclusion
Ceramic and composites in
armor
Hard body armor
Hard body armor consists of rigid plates
designed to protect against high-velocity
threats like rifle rounds, and is used by
military, law enforcement, and tactical
teams
Purpose:
To stop rifle rounds, which are far more
powerful than handgun rounds that soft armor
is designed to defea
Hard body armor
Material and constructions
Ceramic: Often used as the front layer in a
composite plate, ceramic is excellent at absorbing
and diffusing the energy of a projectile.
Steel: Provides durability and can be a cost-
effective option.
Composites: Many plates are composite,
combining different materials like ceramic and
fiber-reinforced composites with epoxy resin for
improved flexibility, performance, and weight
reduction.
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References
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An Overview of Ceramic
Armor Applications 01 The user can demonstrate on a
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