Edge effects may cause reduced ballistic performance close to the edge of armoringparts. When a ballistic test of an armor sample is performed, it is important to define whetherthis test is aimed to the main area (MA) of the sample or to the structurally weak areas(SWA) near its edges. Some standards define excluded zone (EZ) to avoid test within SWA,but for transparent armor (TA) the available data regarding the extent of the SWA is ratherlimited, resulting in possibly insufficient EZ.In this work, typical TA samples were tested against Kinetic Energy (KE) andFragment Simulating Projectile (FSP) threats, at both MA and edge related SWA, and thedifferences in the ballistic performance were examined. The obtained results suggest that theedge effect extends to at least 100-150 mm from the edges.Finally, we recommend that for ballistic performance purposes, explicit definitions ofsample size, impact location and shooting sequence, should be considered to beincorporated into ballistic standards to ensure repeatability of the tests.
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