MORPHOLOGY OF CRATERS AT HYPERVELOCITY IMPACT IN ISOTROPIC COMPOSITESWITH INCLUSIONS

Results of a study of hypervelocity impact in model disperse-reinforce d composites With an epoxy or aluminum matrix with metallic (Al and Pb ) or ceramic (SiO2) inclusions are reported. The goal of the present s tudy is to find materials that possess a higher resistance to penetrat ion of a high-velocity projectile compared with materials of separate components. This resistance is characterized by the ratio of the depth of a crater in a sufficiently thick target to the diameter of a spher ical projectile. For two composites studied, we show that in impact of a. steel particle With a velocity ranging from 3 to 11 km/sec, the cr ater depth is approximately one projectile diameter smaller than that for lead or aluminum targets.