The high-rate brittle microplane concrete model: Part II: application to projectile perforation of concrete slabs

In this paper, we examine the behavior of the High-Rate Brittle Microplane (HRBM) concrete model based on a series of penetration experiments. These experiments were conducted with three different slab thicknesses (127, 216 and 254 mm) that provided a significant challenge for the numerical simulations. The 127 mm slab provided little resistance, the 216 mm slab provided nominal resistance and the 254 mm slab approached the perforation limit thickness of the projectile. These experiments provide a good baseline for evaluating material models since they have been shown to be extremely challenging; in fact, we have not encountered many material models that can provide quantitatively predictive results in terms of both projectile exit velocity and material damage. In a companion paper, we described the HRBM material model and its fit to various quasi-static material property data for WES-5000 concrete. In this paper, we show that, when adequately fit to these quasi-static data, the HRBM model does not have significant predictive capabilities, even though the quasi-static material fit may be exceptional. This was attributed to the rate-dependent response of the material. After various rate effects were introduced into the HRBM model, the quantitative predictive nature of the calculations dramatically increased. Unfortunately, not much rate-dependent material property data are in the literature; hence, accurate incorporation of rate effects into material models is difficult. Nonetheless, it seems that rate effects may be critical in obtaining an accurate response for concrete during projectile perforation events.