Development, Fabrication and Ballistic Testing of New, Novel Low-Cost HighPerformance Ballistic Materials

摘要

The program goal was to develop improved low cost high performance ballisticarmor ceramic materials thru microstructural control. The system Al2O3 + SiC particulates was investigated by varying the type, purity and particle sizes of the starting material and the volume percentages of the SiC dispersed phase. Low cost as well as high cost starting materials were investigated. Physical, mechanical and microstructural data was obtained. The study determined that low cost starting materials appear to work as well as high cost materials and that an inexpensive Al2O3-SiC composite containing only 10 v/o SiC could perform as well as sintered alpha silicon carbide as a ceramic ballistic armor.