Dynamic Behavior and Optimization of Advanced Armor Ceramics: January — December 2011 Annual Report

Abstract : This Materials Center of Excellence program has been conducted as a seamless, synergistic collaboration among the following institutions: Rutgers Malcolm G McLaren Center for Ceramic Research, Penn State Particulate Research Center, The Johns Hopkins Center for Advanced Metal and Ceramic Systems, and the US Army Research Laboratory s Weapons and Materials Research Directorate. The following tasks are reviewed: Nanostructured Armor Ceramics: Boron Carbide Powder Synthesis; the Role of Microstructure in the Ballistic Performance for Silicon Carbide; High-Strain-Rate Behavior and Dynamic Failure of Armor Ceramics; Identification of Fundamental Deformation and Failure Mechanisms in Armor Ceramics; Multiscale Computational Investigations of Interfaces Relevant to Structural Ceramics; Microstructural Tailoring: Particle Coating for Silicon Carbide; Study of US Silicon Carbide Powder Variations; Defining Microstructural Tolerance Limits of Defects for Silicon Carbide; and Nondestructive Characterization.