Blast Performance of Four Armour Materials

Abstract : This investigation compared four conventional vehicle armour materials for performance under blast loading. The parameters measured were resistance to deformation, mechanical toughness and metallurgical microstructure. It was found that two of these, the M steel and A steel, showed the least deformation and M steel showed better shock energy absorption. B steel had high toughness but showed significant deformation under blast loading; particularly when subjected to multiple hits. H steel showed intermediate properties between M steel and B steel. It is concluded that M and A steels provide the best performance for use on vehicles that may be subjected to explosive charges.