Abstract:
Silicon carbide is well known as being a ceramic that can be employed as part of
an effective armour solution to defeat small arms ammunition. Its relatively
high hardness and ability to accommodate large plastic strains at high confining
pressures lend itself to offering sufficient resistance to defeat tungsten
carbide cored projectiles. In this paper, the 7.62 × 51mm FFV*† round consisting
of a tungsten carbide core (Hv 1200) and copper gilding jacket was fired at a
variety of thicknesses and types of silicon carbide. The results suggest that it
is not only the type of silicon carbide that is important in the design of the
armour solution but also a critical thickness that is necessary to sufficiently
resist and damage the round. This paper will also draw conclusions on the
effectiveness of the manufacturing routes of silicon carbide for armour
solutions. This paper will be of interest to armour system designers and
manufacture
