Effect of residual-stress field on the ballistic performance of welded steel plate

Abstract

This paper presents finite element simulations examining the effect of residual stresses and pre-existing damage on the ballistic performance of welded austenitic plate. A 18-mm thick welded plate is impacted by a hemi-spherical nosed projectile in the velocity range of 300-800 m/s. Numerical models were developed using ABAQUS/Explicit. The effect of the fracture model on the ballistic performance when equivalent plastic strain is present was also studied. It was found that the preexisting plastic strain have a detrimental effect on the ballistic performance. It was also found that a failure criterion that accounts for pre-existing damage must be used to analyse the effect of residual stresses and plastic strain when impact velocity is close to the ballistic limit.