Mechanical, microstructural properties and ballistic performance of SiC/Si ceramics against 5.56 x 45 mm projectile
Modern armed conflicts heavily rely on technology to ensure the safety of combatants in police operations, tactical warfare, or military engagements. The use of ceramic armor has become common to provide protection against high-caliber munitions, making it essential to optimize these materials for a...
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Elsevier
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Journal of Materials Research and Technology |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2238785425000031 |
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| author | Jeremias Ismael Nunes Fortini Pedro Henrique Poubel Mendonça da Silveira Sergio Neves Monteiro Altair Sória Pereira Eduardo Sousa Lima |
| author_facet | Jeremias Ismael Nunes Fortini Pedro Henrique Poubel Mendonça da Silveira Sergio Neves Monteiro Altair Sória Pereira Eduardo Sousa Lima |
| author_sort | Jeremias Ismael Nunes Fortini |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Modern armed conflicts heavily rely on technology to ensure the safety of combatants in police operations, tactical warfare, or military engagements. The use of ceramic armor has become common to provide protection against high-caliber munitions, making it essential to optimize these materials for a combination of lightness and strength. In this context, this study justifies the use of silicon (Si) as a reinforcement in silicon carbide (SiC) to reduce the ceramics' density without compromising their mechanical properties and ballistic performance. The addition of Si allows a reduction in the density of sintered samples with 15 and 25 vol% Si, contributing to the material's lightness, a crucial factor for user mobility. The results show that despite the lower density, the hardness of SiC ceramics increased with higher Si additions, though there was a decrease in flexural strength and elastic modulus. Ballistic tests demonstrated that the produced ceramics effectively withstood the firing of 5.56 × 45 mm caliber ammunition, meeting the requirements of the new standard under development for ballistic materials, NIJ 0123.00. This research makes significant contributions to the development of advanced armor systems, enhancing combatant safety through lightweight, high-performance ballistic materials. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4dccc4956fb54e06afce7c2363ecd8a9 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2238-7854 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Materials Research and Technology |
| spelling | doaj-art-4dccc4956fb54e06afce7c2363ecd8a92025-01-11T06:41:31ZengElsevierJournal of Materials Research and Technology2238-78542025-03-0135208219Mechanical, microstructural properties and ballistic performance of SiC/Si ceramics against 5.56 x 45 mm projectileJeremias Ismael Nunes Fortini0Pedro Henrique Poubel Mendonça da Silveira1Sergio Neves Monteiro2Altair Sória Pereira3Eduardo Sousa Lima4Military Institute of Engineering - IME, Department of Materials Science, Praça General Tibúrcio, 80, Praia Vermelha, Urca, 22290-270, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Corresponding author.Military Institute of Engineering - IME, Department of Materials Science, Praça General Tibúrcio, 80, Praia Vermelha, Urca, 22290-270, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BrazilMilitary Institute of Engineering - IME, Department of Materials Science, Praça General Tibúrcio, 80, Praia Vermelha, Urca, 22290-270, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BrazilInstitute of Physics and Engineering School, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul - UFRGS, Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9500, Agronomia, 91501-970, Porto Alegre, RS, BrazilMilitary Institute of Engineering - IME, Department of Materials Science, Praça General Tibúrcio, 80, Praia Vermelha, Urca, 22290-270, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BrazilModern armed conflicts heavily rely on technology to ensure the safety of combatants in police operations, tactical warfare, or military engagements. The use of ceramic armor has become common to provide protection against high-caliber munitions, making it essential to optimize these materials for a combination of lightness and strength. In this context, this study justifies the use of silicon (Si) as a reinforcement in silicon carbide (SiC) to reduce the ceramics' density without compromising their mechanical properties and ballistic performance. The addition of Si allows a reduction in the density of sintered samples with 15 and 25 vol% Si, contributing to the material's lightness, a crucial factor for user mobility. The results show that despite the lower density, the hardness of SiC ceramics increased with higher Si additions, though there was a decrease in flexural strength and elastic modulus. Ballistic tests demonstrated that the produced ceramics effectively withstood the firing of 5.56 × 45 mm caliber ammunition, meeting the requirements of the new standard under development for ballistic materials, NIJ 0123.00. This research makes significant contributions to the development of advanced armor systems, enhancing combatant safety through lightweight, high-performance ballistic materials.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2238785425000031SiCSiBallistic performanceSinteringMechanical properties |
| spellingShingle | Jeremias Ismael Nunes Fortini Pedro Henrique Poubel Mendonça da Silveira Sergio Neves Monteiro Altair Sória Pereira Eduardo Sousa Lima Mechanical, microstructural properties and ballistic performance of SiC/Si ceramics against 5.56 x 45 mm projectile Journal of Materials Research and Technology SiC Si Ballistic performance Sintering Mechanical properties |
| title | Mechanical, microstructural properties and ballistic performance of SiC/Si ceramics against 5.56 x 45 mm projectile |
| title_full | Mechanical, microstructural properties and ballistic performance of SiC/Si ceramics against 5.56 x 45 mm projectile |
| title_fullStr | Mechanical, microstructural properties and ballistic performance of SiC/Si ceramics against 5.56 x 45 mm projectile |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mechanical, microstructural properties and ballistic performance of SiC/Si ceramics against 5.56 x 45 mm projectile |
| title_short | Mechanical, microstructural properties and ballistic performance of SiC/Si ceramics against 5.56 x 45 mm projectile |
| title_sort | mechanical microstructural properties and ballistic performance of sic si ceramics against 5 56 x 45 mm projectile |
| topic | SiC Si Ballistic performance Sintering Mechanical properties |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2238785425000031 |
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