PSI - Issue 72

Kevin Fabian Arsaputera et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 72 (2025) 409–417

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3. Methodology The research methodology was carried out through several systematic stages. Initially, a literature review was conducted to identify and understand previous relevant studies. The researcher then proceeded to validate the numerical methods used in the analysis of Gupta et al. (2007). The computational model up to the boundary conditions was replicated during this stage following the previously conducted numerical analysis. The results of this simulation were then validated against experimental and numerical results from prior studies. If the analysis error was below the 10% threshold, the research proceeded to the mesh convergence study. The mesh convergence study ensures that the numerical simulation results do not depend on the mesh size used. This step is crucial for determining the optimal mesh size, where changes in mesh size no longer significantly affect the simulation results. This process ensures the accuracy and consistency of the generated simulation results. All outcomes from these stages were then thoroughly analyzed to evaluate the ballistic performance of the materials and structures tested. 3.1. Benchmark configuration This study employed the same method as that of Gupta et al. (2007). Previous research investigated the residual velocity of projectiles penetrating aluminum plates. The calculation used the finite element (FE) method (Milovanovi ć et al. (2021), Dahmane et al. (2021), Prabowo et al. (2021), Wiratno et al. (2024), Prabowo et al. (2016), Cho et al. (2023), Chemmami et al. (2021), Ansori et al. (2022), Ridwan et al. (2023), Camacho et al. (2025), Li et al. (2025), Zhang and Zhu (2025), Nurcholis et al. (2024), Roy and Sharma (2023), Koh and Cirak (2023) to obtain data based on a comparison of the numerical models with experimental and analytical results to estimate residual velocity. The research also examined the influence of geometry and velocity on ballistic performance and calculated the damage experienced by the structure. For validation, this study compared the projectile's residual velocity results from the current numerical analysis with the numerical analysis from previous studies based on existing references. Additionally, comparisons were made regarding the deformation behavior contours, material flow, and failure patterns on the target. The numerical analysis in this study was conducted using ABAQUS software. Validation was carried out with the same parameters and analysis settings as in the previous study by Gupta et al. (2007). The boundary conditions in the simulation were adjusted to match the experimental scheme, where all degrees of freedom (DOF) at the edges of the front plate were set to zero. The geometry used for this numerical analysis was a blunt-shaped projectile, measuring 50.8 mm in length, 19 mm in diameter, and weighing 52.5 g, with a target plate thickness of 1 mm. The target plate was defined as a deformable body, while the projectile was considered rigid. Surface-to-surface contact modeling was applied between the projectile and the plate. The numerical analysis was set up by neglecting the friction effect between the projectile and the target plate. The material used was Aluminum 1100-H12. The mesh size was set to 0.16 mm in the impact region and 2 mm in the non-impact zone. This simulation employed initial projectile velocities of 115.6, 104.03, and 102.5 m/s. 3.2. Meshing strategy The mesh configuration on the target plate model employs a Continuum-3D solid element with eight nodes and reduced integration (C3D8R). It is set up through a stepwise meshing process that divides the target plate into the impact and non-impact zones. The impact zone, directly hit by the projectile, is assigned a mesh size of 0.16 mm, while the non-impact zone, unaffected by direct impact, uses a mesh size of 10 mm. The plate thickness is also meshed into six layers using the by-number method, resulting in a mesh size of 0.16 mm. This differentiated mesh configuration focuses the numerical analysis on the area directly impacted by the projectile. This zonal division is designed to maintain simulation accuracy while reducing computational time. 3.3. Material properties High-velocity impact analysis is a dynamic study that accounts for time-dependent changes. The deformation in this analysis occurs rapidly, unlike static analysis, in which deformation happens slowly. The combined effects of