Ceramic/metal composite materials have been widely used in national defense, military industry, and aerospace fields as lightweight impact-resistant structures with high specific strength and high energy absorption efficiency. With the development of 3D printing technology, it has become possible to fabricate complex lattice structures based on Triply Periodic Minimal Surfaces (TPMS). In this paper, an interpenetrating TPMS ballistic composite structure composed of silicon carbide (SiC) ceramic and titanium alloy (TC4) is designed. A series of numerical simulations are carried out under single-projectile and double-projectile penetration conditions using ABAQUS. The damage modes, penetration depth, and ballistic limit velocity of the proposed structure and pure SiC target are compared and analyzed.The numerical results show that different interpenetrating TPMS structures exhibit distinct damage and failure modes. The three-dimensional topological configuration restrains crack propagation inside the ceramic, resulting in slighter overall damage than the pure SiC target. The damage caused by the second projectile further develops along the penetration region of the first projectile, accompanied by an increase in penetration depth. Compared with the pure SiC target, the three interpenetrating TPMS targets present smaller penetration depth and higher ballistic limit velocity. When the projectile can perforate the target, the P-type structure shows better ballistic performance against low-velocity projectiles, while the D-type structure is superior against high-velocity projectiles. It is demonstrated that, at the same areal density, interpenetrating TPMS targets possess better ballistic performance than pure SiC.This study can provide technical support and theoretical basis for the design of novel lightweight ceramic armor.
DownLoad: