Abstract
To qualitatively understand the deformation processes and damages in the human body caused by high-speed impact, we conducted experimental and computational investigations for bullet penetration into viscoelastic ballistic gelatin blocks. Because it is difficult to measure the strain rate-dependent material properties of viscoelastic gelatin blocks during high-speed impact, the material properties that are indirectly defined by the stress relaxation test were used for the computational simulation. We also conducted some firing experiments and analyzed the deformation processes of the structures. In particular, the passing through times and the shapes of the temporary and permanent cavities inside the ballistic gelatin blocks were analyzed and compared. This data reveals that the employed material models, with some modifications for the FE simulation, are sufficient for predicting the high-speed impact behaviors. To investigate the shapes of the permanent cavities and fragments made by bullets inside the gelatin blocks, two-dimensional sectional images were taken by an industrial CT scanner and a three-dimensional CAD model was constructed based on these images.
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Recommended by Associate Editor Jun-Sik Kim
Gil Ho Yoon received his B.S. degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering from Seoul National University in 1998. And he received his M.S. degree and Ph.D. in mechanical and aerospace engineering from Seoul National University in 2000 and 2004, respectively. Dr. Yoon is currently an associate professor at School of Mechanical Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Jun Su Mo received his B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Hanyang University in 2013.
Ki Hyun Kim received his B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Hanyang University in 2013.
Chung Hee Yoon received his B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Hanyang University in 2013.
Nam Hun Lim received his B.S. degree and M.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Hanyang University in 2012 and 2015, respectively.
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Yoon, G.H., Mo, J.S., Kim, K.H. et al. Investigation of bullet penetration in ballistic gelatin via finite element simulation and experiment. J Mech Sci Technol 29, 3747–3759 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-015-0821-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-015-0821-7