Impact of the projectile to the aluminum plate Abaqus

Product Overview

In this example, we simulate the high-velocity impact and perforation of a 6061-T651 Aluminum plate by an ogive-nose steel projectile using the Abaqus software.

The numerical model is developed based on the experimental study reported in the reference article, which investigates the perforation behavior of 26.3 mm thick 6061-T651 Aluminum plates subjected to high-velocity impact. The projectile is a rigid ogive-nose rod with a diameter of 12.9 mm.

The analysis focuses on the penetration and perforation process of the Aluminum plate, including the deformation and damage produced during impact. The residual velocity of the projectile is obtained from the Abaqus results and can be compared with the experimental results reported in the reference study.

Johnson-Cook Damage Model

The Johnson-Cook damage model is used to simulate the damage and failure behavior of the aluminum plate during the high-velocity impact.

The Johnson-Cook model is particularly suitable for materials subjected to large plastic deformation, high strain rates, and elevated temperatures, which makes it appropriate for projectile impact and penetration problems.

In this simulation, the Johnson-Cook damage formulation is used to describe the initiation and evolution of material damage as the projectile penetrates the aluminum plate. The damage model accounts for the effects of equivalent plastic strain, strain rate, stress triaxiality, and temperature on the failure behavior of the material.

Using the Johnson-Cook damage model allows the numerical model to represent the progressive degradation of the aluminum material and its failure during the impact event.

Effect of Temperature

The effect of temperature is explicitly considered in the Abaqus simulation. A Dynamic, Temp-disp, Explicit analysis is used to account for the interaction between the mechanical deformation and thermal response of the Aluminum plate during projectile impact.

The material properties of the 6061-T651 Aluminum are defined as temperature-dependent. Therefore, the mechanical response of the material can change with temperature during the impact event.

The coupled temperature-displacement analysis allows the thermal and mechanical responses to be calculated simultaneously. The resulting temperature distribution can therefore be considered together with the deformation, damage, and penetration of the Aluminum plate during the impact process.

Different Projectile Striking Velocities

Four impact cases are simulated in Abaqus with striking velocities of 396 m/s, 508 m/s, 730 m/s, and 863 m/s. These velocities correspond to experimental normal-impact cases reported in the reference study.

The projectile velocity after passing through the target is also obtained from the Abaqus results. These results are used to determine the residual velocity for each striking velocity and to compare the numerical response with the experimental results reported in the reference article.

Damage and Failure of the Aluminum Plate

According to the reference study, the perforation process during normal impact is primarily governed by ductile hole growth.

As the ogive-nose projectile penetrates the 6061-T651 Aluminum plate, the material around the projectile undergoes significant plastic deformation. The deformation causes the hole to progressively grow along the projectile path as the projectile moves through the target.

Residual Velocity versus Striking Velocity

A diagram of the residual velocity (Vr) versus the striking velocity (Vs) of the projectile is plotted based on the results obtained from the simulations.

This diagram provides a comparison between the projectile's initial striking velocity and its residual velocity after penetration into the aluminum plate.

Reference

This project is based on a research article. The reference article is included with the project and can be used to review the impact problem and the results used for validation.

What You Will Learn

• How to simulate projectile impact on an aluminum plate in Abaqus.
• How to model high-velocity projectile penetration.
• How to model Aluminum 6061-T651.
• How to define the Johnson-Cook damage model in Abaqus.
• How to simulate material damage and failure during impact.
• How to investigate the effect of temperature on plate deformation.
• How to perform simulations for different projectile velocities.
• How to analyze projectile penetration into an aluminum plate.
• How to calculate the residual velocity of a projectile.
• How to plot residual velocity versus striking velocity.
• How to compare Abaqus results with published research results.
• How to validate an impact simulation using a research article.

Key Features

• High-velocity projectile impact simulation in Abaqus.
• Projectile penetration into an aluminum plate.
• Aluminum 6061-T651 material.
• Johnson-Cook damage model.
• Damage and failure simulation.
• Investigation of temperature effects.
• Four projectile striking velocities.
• 396 m/s impact case.
• 508 m/s impact case.
• 730 m/s impact case.
• 863 m/s impact case.
• Residual velocity calculation.
• Residual velocity versus striking velocity diagram.
• Comparison with research article results.
• Validation of the Abaqus model.
• Complete Abaqus model files.
• Step-by-step video tutorial.