Advancements in Steel for Weight Reduction of P900 Armor Plate

Abstract

Ballistic tests were conducted on a high manganese and high aluminum austenitic steel that is age hardenable. These lightweight steels (12 to 18 % lower in density) were investigated as alternatives to MIL-PRF-32269 steel alloys for application in P900 perforated armor currently used for Army ground combat systems. Two steel plates with nominal composition in weight percent of Fe-30Mn-9Al-1Si-0.9C-0.5Mo were evaluated for V50 against 0.30 caliber armor piercing and 0.50 caliber fragmentation simulation projectiles. At equivalent areal densities to current steels, both plates surpassed the required 0.30 caliber acceptance criteria by 188 and 151 ft/s. Against the 0.50 caliber fragmentation projectile, the calcium treated plate exceeded the MIL-A-46100 V50 by 225 ft/s, but the non calcium treated plate underperformed by 39 ft/s.