Penetration and perforation performance of three pyramidal lattice-cored sandwich plates: numerical simulations

The ballistic performances of three different kinds of sandwich plates with pyramidal lattice cores are numerically evaluated with the method of finite elements, including empty lattice--cored sandwich without any insertion, ceramic filled sandwich, and ceramic and epoxy resin filled sandwich. As the complexity of the sandwich structure and material composition increase, the energy absorption performance of the sub-structures and the sandwich plate as a whole is quantified. Both the incidence and exit velocities of the projectile are considered to establish the ballistic limit as well as the ballistic performance of the sandwich plates. Obtained results reveal that ceramic insertions lead to enhanced penetration resistance of the sandwich due to their high-strength and high-hardness characteristics, whereas the use of epoxy resin improves the integrity of the sandwich so that more energy of the projectile can be absorbed. Therefore, the third type of sandwich (ceramic and epoxy resin filled) achieves the highest ballistic limit velocity and the best ballistic performance mainly due to its structural integrity.