Deformation of a Low-Cost Ti-6A1-4V Armor Alloy under Shock Loading

The shock behavior of a new, low-cost Ti-6Al-4V alloy has been characterized up to stress levels of 20 GPa. Examination of the particle velocity histories obtained from specimens of the alloy during 11 plate-on-plate impact/planar shock wave experiments indicates that the alloy deforms in an elastic-plastic manner. The magnitude of the Hugoniot Elastic Limit (HEL) lies between 2.0 and 3.0 GPa and appears to be dependent upon material thickness. Plastic shock velocity increases with increasing stress and varies from 5.20 to 5.53 mm/microsecond. Reshock experiments indicate material work hardening. Shear strength sustained during plastic deformation also tends to increase with stress and ranges from 0.5 to 0.9 GPa. Spall strength thresholds tend to vary with changes in pulse width and ranges from 3.1 to 4.2 GPa.Army Research Lab Aberdeen Proving Ground Weapons and Materials Research Directorate is the author of 'Deformation of a Low-Cost Ti-6A1-4V Armor Alloy under Shock Loading', published 2001 under ISBN 9781423551171 and ISBN 1423551176.