Ballistic Impact Testing of Aluminum 2024 and Titanium 6Al-4V for Material Model Development

Ballistic impact testing was conducted on aluminum (Al) 2024 and titanium (Ti) 6Al-4Vanadium (V) sheet and plate samples of different thicknesses. The tests were conducted on flat panels with two different areal dimensions: $61\times 61\hspace{0.17em}\text{cm}$ ($24\times 24\hspace{0.17em}\text{in.}$) (large panel) and $38\times 38\hspace{0.17em}\text{cm}$ ($15\times 15\hspace{0.17em}\text{in.}$) (small panel), with projectile velocities between $150\hspace{0.17em}\text{and}\hspace{0.17em}300\hspace{0.17em}\text{m/s}$ ($500\hspace{0.17em}\text{and}\hspace{0.17em}\mathrm{1,000}\hspace{0.17em}\text{ft/s}$). The smaller panels were impacted in a normal direction with cylindrical projectiles ranging in diameter from 1.27 cm to 1.91 cm (0.5 to 0.75 in.). The larger panels involved a more complex projectile, with some features representing those of real turbine engine fan blades, impacting the panel in an oblique orientation. For the large panels, data are reported on the impact velocity and whether the projectile penetrated the panel; for the small panels, data are reported on the residual velocities. For thick panels, friction between the projectile and the panel as the projectile translated through the panel appear to play a large role in penetration. Projectile hardness affects the penetration velocity. The data presented here provide a useful tool for developing and validating impact models.