Numerical simulation of light armour piercing ammunition against ceramics

Using the hydrocode Autodyn we perform numerical simulations of penetration into various combinations of ceramic armour and backing material. In particular we look at the penetration performance of two common 7.62 x 51 mm projectiles, namely the Bofors FFV and Fabrique Nationale P80. It is seen that the expected physical effects are reproduced in the numerical simulations and that, in principle, sensitivity studies can be performed using Autodyn to determine the optimal configuration of ceramic and backing material. However, lack of good material models may be a problem.