Ballistic Impact Simulations of an Aluminum 2024 Panel Using *MAT_224 in LS-DYNA Considering Oblique Incidence and Attitude Angles of a Rectangular Projectile

The objective of this study is (1) to validate the *MAT_224 model for Aluminum 2024 with complex impact conditions; (2) to evaluate its predictability of ballistic limit and residual velocities of a projectile under various impact conditions; and (3) to investigate the effects of oblique and attitude angle variations of a projectile on penetration to a target plate. The newly developed *MAT_224 model version 2.0 for Aluminum 2024 was utilized to simulate a series of ballistic impact tests conducted by NASA using a rectangular block projectile of Inconel 718 with sharp edges and corners, impacting Aluminum 2024 flat panels at oblique angles of incidence. A full ballistic impact simulation model was created with over twenty million solid elements and used to conduct approximately one hundred ballistic impact simulations. Overall, the ballistic impact simulations showed highly comparable results with the NASA tests in terms of projectile residual velocities, failure shapes of the target plates, and projectile penetration behavior. Based on a series of ballistic impact simulations, the ballistic limit velocities of the projectile were predicted.