Validation of Ballistic Shock Prediction Models and Techniques for Use in the Crusader Combat Vehicle Program

摘要

For the past ten to fifteen years, the combat vehicle community has recognized the necessity of considering ballistic shock effects in new vehicle designs. The concern over ballistic shock arose from the use of sensitive electronic components in modern vehicles, and new classes of vehicles utilizing lightweight composite structures. Also, live-fire and other ground tests conducted with modern instrumentation have proven the damage potential of ballistic shock. Despite the recognized need for ballistic shock design, analysis to support these designs with shock predictions has been slow in becoming standard throughout the industry. This slow trend is due mostly to the unwieldy nature of common transient response tools, such as finite element methods, for anaylsis of complex structures over large frequency ranges. The Army Research Laboratory (ARL), in conjunction with Military Technology, Inc., have been investigating the use of more tractable numerical methods and disciplined system engineering approaches to support ballistic shock design. As a prelude to execution of this method on a full-scale vehicle, the Crusader Program has sponsored a ballistic test of a surrogate structure representing the vehicle front corner section, with a simulated component and mounting structure. The aim of the test is to evaluate the effectiveness of the method by directly comparing analysis results with measured response values, and finite element predictions. This paper will outline the analysis procedure and display the model predictions corresponding to the test conditions.