APPLICATION OF A DUCTILE DAMAGE MODEL TO BALLISTIC IMPACT ANALYSES

Background, development, implementation and results of a ductile damage model applied to ballistic impact analyses have been completed. While several ductile damage models have been developed and implemented to various degrees, until recently, their application within commercial finite element analysis codes to real-world problems was difficult, especially with regard to material characterization for the damage parameters. Working from groundwork established by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Concurrent Technologies Corporation (CTC) has successfully developed and implemented a material characterization process that provides the damage model reliable strain to failure data over a wide range of stress states. The ductile damage model is then implemented through the existing framework within the commercial FEA code Abaqus for damage initiation and damage evolution for ductile metals to analyze their armor performance.