Technical report | The Mechanical Metallurgy of Armour Steels

Abstract

Armour steels have historically delivered optimised ballistic performance against a range of battlefield threats and continue to be highly competitive armour materials. The relationship between armour steel mechanical properties, specifically their mechanical metallurgy, and ballistic performance is explained, where such performance is primarily determined by material strength, hardness and high strain rate behaviour. Other important topics such as toughness; the adiabatic shear phenomenon; structural cracking; and dual hardness and electroslag remelted armour steels are also discussed along with armour steel specifications and standards.  

Executive Summary

Armour steels have historically delivered optimised ballistic performance against a range of battlefield threats and continue to be highly competitive armour materials. However, the factors that are most important for the ballistic and structural performance of armour steels are not commonly well understood. This report seeks to redress this and provide an overview reference document for armour designers and armoured vehicle capability acquisition and quality assurance engineers.

The relationship between the mechanical properties of armour steels, specifically their mechanical metallurgy, and ballistic performance is explained, where such performance is primarily determined by material strength, hardness and high strain rate behaviour. Other important topics such as toughness; the adiabatic shear phenomenon; structural cracking; and dual hardness and electroslag remelted armour steels are also discussed along with armour steel specifications and standards. It is considered that armour steels will not only continue to improve but will continue to dominate vehicle armour designs well into the future.