INFRARED THERMOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF POLYMER COMPOSITES DURING BALLISTIC IMPACT

Heat is deposited in a target material when it is impacted by a projectile. The feasibility of using an infrared thermographic system to measure the surface temperature profile of composite materials under ballistic impact was demonstrated. Three types of composites were used in this instrumentation study to illustrate the effectiveness and limitation of this technique. The resolution of temperature was found to be better than +/- 1 K. The total temperature rise in the materials during impact can be attributed to the deformation required to perforate the material as well as frictional heat produced between the projectile and the hole. The heat deposited was calculated based of the temperature profiles. The relative contribution of the frictional effect to the total energy absorption was evaluated using a sequential shot technique. Effects of material properties and impact parameters on the peak temperature and heat deposition were determined. Graphite and PE composites are more effective than Kevlar composite in dissipating heat during the ballistic impact penetration process due to their higher thermal conductivity. The correlation between heat dissipation and extent of damage in composites was also investigated.