A micro-damage investigation on a low-alloy steel tested using a 7.62-mm AP projectile

Abstract

Low-alloy steels have been widely used as an armor material in defense systems due to their superior mechanical and weldability properties. In this study, microdamage formation in an AISI 4140 steel, which was hit by 7.62-mm armor-piercing (AP) projectile, was investigated. Analyses of the microstructure and microhardness after ballistic testing were performed to correlate the microstructure-property relationship. Two different types of adiabatic shear band (ASB) were observed in the tested samples. The experimental results indicated that the type and hardness of the bands were strongly related to the hardness and ballistic performance of the steel specimens.