Int. J Impact Enqnq Vol. 12. No. 1, pp I-7, 1992 0734~743X/92 $5.00+0.

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Printed m Great Britain t 1992 Pergamon Press plc

P E R F O R A T I O N O F C O N C R E T E S L A B S W I T H 48 M P a
(7 ksi) A N D 140 M P a (20 ksi) U N C O N F I N E D
COMPRESSIVE STRENGTHS

S. J. HANCHAK,* M. J. FORRESTAL,t E. R. YOUNGt and J. Q. EHRGOTT~

*University of Dayton Research Institute, Dayton, OH 45469, U.S.A.; tSandla National

Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 87185, U.S.A.; :~Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, MS
39180, U.S.A.

(Recewed 1 May 1990; in revised form 3 September 1991 )

Summary--We conducted perforation experiments with 25.4-mm diameter, 0,50-kg, 3.0-caliber-

radius-head, ogwal-nose rods and 178-mm-thick concrete slabs with 48 M Pa (7 ks1) and 140 M Pa
(20 ksi) unconfined compressive strengths. For impact velocities between 300 and 1100 m/s, our
data showed that residual velocities for the 140 MPa concrete were less than 2 0 0 lower than that
for the 48 MPa concrete. Thus, for a factor of three increase in unconfined compressive strength,
we measured relatively minor changes in ballistic perforation performance. We explained these
results qualitatively with post-test observations and triaxial material experiments w~th the 48 and
140 MPa concrete materials.

INTRODUCTION

Godfrey [1-I discusses recent advances in concrete materials used for columns in high-rise
structures. In particular, Godfrey notes that some preconstruction test pours have shown
that 131 MPa (19 ksi) unconfined compression strengths are obtained at 56 days after the
pour. By contrast, the recent paper by Brown [2] on ballistic protection reports results
for concrete slabs limited to the 21-34MPa (3-5 ksi) strength range. Motivated by
Godfrey's paper [1], we planned and executed an experimental program to study the
perforation of 48 MPa (7 ksi) and 140 MPa (20 ksi) strength concrete slabs. The 48 MPa
(7 ksi) concrete is typically used for the construction of structural members, so we obtained
ballistic perforation data for typical and high-strength concrete slabs. Comparison of
ballistic perforation data for both concrete materials showed that the residual velocities
for the 140 MPa concrete were less than 20% lower than that for the 48 MPa concrete.

CONCRETE MIX DESIGN AND MATERIAL PROPERTIES

Brice Simons,§ innovater of the high-strength concrete described in the article by Godfrey
[1], designed the concrete mixes and casted the targets and material test cylinders for
triaxial material experiments. To achieve 140MPa (20ksi) unconfined compressive
strength, the mix design requires a low water-to-cement ratio, silica fume, a high cement
content, superplasticizers and the strongest available cement and aggregates. Reducing the
water-to-cement ratio to 0.22 is the most important factor for achieving high strength.
Superplasticizers must be used for concrete workability, and silica fume creates a denser
cement paste and increases unconfined compressive strength by 250. Simons specifies the
maximum aggregate sizes to be 9.5 mm (0.375 in.).
Table 1 presents the component density ratios for each concrete design. The components
are normalized to the cement density, so the component density ratio for cement is 1.
If we compare the 140 MPa (20 ksi) and 48 MPa (7 ksi) concretes on a total weight basis,
the higher strength concrete has 380 more cement and 340 less water.

§Simons Engineering Services, Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.

 S. J. HANCHAKet al.

TABLE 1. COMPONENT DENSITY RATIOS FOR 48 MPa (7 ksi) AND

140 MPa (20 ksi) UNCONFINED COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH CONCRETES.
GRAVELWASSTEILACOONGLACIALTILLWITH MOHS HARDNESSOF 6.6 [ 3 ]

Component density ratios 48 MPa (7 ksi) 140 MPa (20 ksi)

Cement 1.0 1.0

Fly ash 0.0 0.12
Sihca fume 0.0 0.10
Water 0.41 0.27
Sand 2.24 1.30
Gravel 3.14 2 16
Wet density 2440 k g / m 3 2520 k g / m 3

/
-i 610mm ~ 178mm

'+ ""-_ .' +~"i

+

IJ

tmm

*..o ~ ..
iI
~ 127 --,~- 12.7mm

76.2mm 76.2mm 76.2mm

FIG 1. Target geometry with location of the steel reinforcement (5.69 mm diameter).

Figure 1 shows the target geometry and location of the reinforcement. Targets for both
mix designs used three layers of a square-pattern reinforcement. The reinforcing rods were
5.69 mm (0.224 in.) diameter steel wire. Other details are dimensioned in Fig. 1.
Concrete cylinders with length 127 m m (5.0 in.) and diameter 63.5 m m (2.5 in.) were
cast for triaxial material tests. Ehrgott [4] describes the high-pressure triaxial test program
for these concrete materials, and we summarize the results in this paper. These tests are
conducted in two phases: isotropic compression followed by triaxial shear. The concrete
cylinders are loaded with axial stress a~ and radial stress trr. For isotropic compression
a, = at, so pressure is given by p = 1/3 (a, + 2a~). For isotropic compression or uniform
pressure, deformation measurements of the length and diameter changes during loading
were performed. Figure 2 shows results from isotropic compression experiments that
measure pressure versus volumetric strain. We show three data curves for the 48 M P a
(7ksi) concrete and bracket results from three data curves for the 140 M P a (20ksi)
concrete. We bracket the 140 M P a (20ksi) data because the actual data plots are too
close to each other to plot on the scale in Fig. 2.
 Perforation of concrete slabs 3

6O0 I I I I I I I

500 /:"
400 -;
~- .,

200 .,7
m ..... 120 ksI)

(7 ksl)

o ~ I I I I I I I
0 0.0:2 0.04 0.06 0 08

VOLUMETRIC STRAIN

FIG 2. Pressure versus volumetric strain.

500 I I I I I I

..... 140 MPa (20 ksi) .q

Q. 400
48 MPa (7 ksl) "IN" . . . . ~BL. . . . . . .
. ...IP'" •

"1-
p- 30O

Z
W
I-- 200
¢/)

<E
uJ
q- 100
U~

I L I I I I
100 200 300 400 500 600 700

PRESSURE, p (MPa)

FIG 3. Shear strength versus pressure.

For the triaxial shear tests, the concrete specimens are first loaded with isotropic
compression, and then the axial stress aa is increased while the radial stress a r is held
constant. Values of the maximum stress difference r = (<r,-~rr) or shear strength versus
pressure p = 1/3 (ix, + 2~ r) are given in Fig. 3. Data points for the lowest values of pressure
represent the unconfined compressive test data where pressure p is one-third the value of
the shear strength r. As shown in Fig. 3, shear strengths for both concrete materials increase
with pressure and are nearly parallel with each other. While the unconfined compressive
strengths differ by a factor of three, the ratio of the shear strengths diminishes for increasing
pressure. For example, the ratio of the shear strengths at a pressure of 400 MPa is about 1.3.
Tensile strengths of the two concretes were measured by direct-pull tests. The maximum
unconfined tensile strength for the 48 MPa (7 ksi) concrete was approximately 4 MPa,
while that of the 140 MPa (20 ksi) concrete was approximately 5 MPa.

PERFORATION EXPERIMENTS

A 30-mm, smooth-bore powder gun launched 0.50-kg, ogival-nose, steel projectiles*

dimensioned as in Fig. 4 to striking velocities, V,, between 300 and 1100 m/s. Projectiles
were encased in a low-density polypropylene sleeve sabot and integral gas obturator. The
total launch package mass was 0.53 kg, so the sabot and obturator added 0.03 kg. The
sabot and obturator were stripped from the projectile by the target.

* V A S C O M A X T-250 Maraging Steel with nominal yield stress of 1.72 G P a (250 ksi ) and density of 8020 k g / m 3.
 S. J. HANCHAK et al.

3 CRH

1 " (25.4 m m )

1 . 6 6 " (42.1 m m )
4" (101.6 mm) - - l=

FIG 4. Projectile geometry (0.50 kg).

TABLE 2. PERFORATIONDATAFOR THE SLABSWITH

48 M Pa (7 ksi ) UNCONFINEDCOMPRESSIVESTRENGTH

Shot V, Vr Pitch Yaw

number (m/sl (m/s) I v) (°)

1-0068 301 0 0 0
1-0069 360 67 -- 1.5 up
1-0063 381 136 0.5 left 0
1-0056 434 214 0 0.5 up
1-0064 606 449 0 1.0 down
1-0058 746 605 0 1.0 down
1-0054 749 615 0 1.0 up
1-0053 1058 947 1.0 left 1.0 up

TABLE3. PERFORATIONDATAFOR SLABSWITH 140 MPa

(20 ksi ) UNCONFINEDCOMPRESSIVESTRENGTH

Shot V, Vr Pitch Yaw

number (m/s) (m/s) (o) (o)

1-0062 376 0 0 2.5 up

1-0061 382 0 0 2.0 up
1-0057 443 171 0 0
1-0066 522 265 1.5 right 1.5 down
1-0065 587 368 1.0 right 1.0 up
1-0055 743 544 2.0 left 0
1-0067 998 842 0 1.0 up

T h e target was l o c a t e d 3.66 m from the end of the gun barrel, a n d the striking velocity
Vs was o b t a i n e d by i n t e r r u p t i n g three laser d i o d e systems p l a c e d 1.4, 2.4 a n d 2.9 m from
the e n d of the gun barrel. I n c i d e n t pitch a n d y a w angles were m e a s u r e d with o r t h o g o n a l
X - r a y s l o c a t e d 0.18 m from the target. R e s i d u a l velocities were m e a s u r e d with X - r a y
p h o t o g r a p h s . These residual velocity p h o t o g r a p h s also s h o w e d that the projectiles were
n o t f r a c t u r e d by the targets, a n d recovered projectiles s h o w e d only m i n o r nose erosion.
T h e target fixture allowed target p o s i t i o n i n g with respect to the projectile i m p a c t point,
so the i m p a c t p o i n t was d e t e r m i n e d to within a 4 - m m radius. Except for one test, the
targets were aligned so that the projectiles did n o t strike the steel reinforcement.
T a b l e s 2 a n d 3 s u m m a r i z e the results of the ballistic p e r f o r a t i o n experiments. S h o t
n u m b e r 1-0058 ( T a b l e 2) h a d a n o m i n a l striking velocity of Vs = 7 5 0 m / s , a n d the
projectile s t r u c k all three layers of reinforcement. S h o t n u m b e r 1-0054 was c o n d u c t e d at
the s a m e n o m i n a l striking velocity of 750 m / s , a n d the projectile d i d n o t strike the
reinforcement. B o t h residual velocities were n o m i n a l l y 610 m / s , so the effect of striking
 Perforation of concrete slabs 5

1000 I I I I I ~ "

..... 140 MPa(20 ks1) / /~*

48 MPa(7 ksl) .**~
800

600

>~

?°
400

200

I I I I
200 400 600 800 1000 1200

V s (m/s)

FIG 5. Residual velocity versus striking velocity.

' ' 2 ' - -.-

" I

I
I i

.m

I
" i
t FROHT

FIG 6. Post-test photographs of the impact surface for a 48 M Pa (7 ksi ) slab (shot number 1-0054).

the reinforcement at Vs = 750 m / s had a negligible effect. In Fig. 5, we plot residual

velocity Vr versus striking velocity Vs and show that an increase in unconfined compressive
strength by a factor of three has a relatively minor effect on ballistic perforation performance.
Figures 6 - 9 present post-test photographs of the impact and exit surfaces for the 48 M P a
(7 ksi) concrete (shot number 1-0054) and the 140 M P a (20 ksi) concrete (shot number
1-0055 ) at a nominal striking velocity of 1/, = 750 m / s . These photographs show the impact
and exit craters caused by spallation.
6 S.J. HANCHAK et al.

.. "L . ~• ,~.
• %

. i ',~

'i .. ~ , "-
• . I ,g

REARi:. ~:
FIG 7. Post-test photographs of the exit surface for a 48 M Pa ( 7 ksi ) slab ( shot num ber 1-0054 ).

..... bib
, .°

. ~ "e i

:RONT

FIG 8. Post-test photographs of the impact surface for a 140 MPa (20 ksi slab (shot number
1-0055).

CONCLUSIONS

We conducted ballistic perforation experiments with 0.50-kg, 3.0-caliber-radius-head,

ogival-nose rods (Fig. 4) and 178-mm-thick concrete slabs (Fig. 1) with 48 MPa (7 ksi)
and 140 MPa (20 ksi) unconfined compressive strengths. For impact velocities between
300 and 1100 m/s, our data (Fig. 5) showed that an increase in unconfined compressive
strength of a factor of three had a relatively minor effect on ballistic perforation resistance.
 Perforatnon of concrete slabs 7

pll t b4J * Ill

I
DN III ~n

I °~i, "
a

" \ * 0

'\ i

I,' ! ,b

REAR

FIG 9. Post-test photographs of the exit surface for a 140 M Pa (20 ksi ) slab (shot number 1-0055).

Post-test observations of the targets showed that craters on the impact and exit surfaces
each had a depth of a b o u t one-third the slab thickness while the central one-third region
had a nearly circular tunnel. We speculate that penetration resistance in the crater regions
is not sensitive to unconfined compressive strength. F r o m previous work on deep
penetration [5, 6], we further speculate that penetration resistance in the central, tunnel
region of the slabs is d o m i n a t e d by shear strength versus pressure. Figure 3 shows that
while the shear strengths for the unconfined compression tests of the concrete materials
differ by a factor of three, the shear strength ratios of the two concrete materials a p p r o a c h
each other for relatively small confining pressures. Finally, empirical equations [ 2 ] that
predict perforation resistance based on unconfined compressive strength should not be
used b e y o n d those strengths for which data are available.

Acknowledgements--This work was supported by the Joint DoD/DOE Munitions Technology Department
Programs.

REFERENCES

1. K. A. GODFREY,Concrete strength record jumps 36%. Civ. Engng 57, 84-88 (1987).
2. S.J. BROWN,Energy release protection for pressurized systems. Part It. Reviewof studies into impact/terminal
ballistics. Appl. Mech. Rev. 39, 177-201 (1986).
3. D. TABOR,The Hardness of Metals, Ch. I. Oxford (1951).
4. J. Q. EHRGOTT, Mechanical property test results on a hi#h-strength concrete. Structures Laboratory,
Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, MS, March 1989.
5. V. K. LUK and M. J. FORRESTAL,Penetration into semi-infinte reinforced-concrete targets with spherical and
ogival-nose projectiles. Int. J. hnpact Engng 6, 291-301 (1987).
6. V. K. LUK and M. J. FORRESTAL,Comment on 'Penetration into semi-infinite reinforced-concrete targets with
spherical and ogival-nose projectiles'. Int. J. Engng 6, 83084 (1989).