Response of reinforced metallic plates with polyurea coating subjected to high-velocity projectile impact by finite element method and presenting a model based on evolutionary regression

In this study, numerical investigation and non-dimensional modeling of the dynamic response of steel and aluminum alloy plates reinforced with polymeric layers impacted by rigid projectiles with different geometries were investigated. In the numerical modeling section, the ABAQUS finite element software and PolyUMod were used to simulate the process. The Johnson-Cook plasticity and fracture models were used to define the metallic material as well as the Mooney–Rivlin model for the polymeric material. To validate the numerical model, a comparison was made between the results of numerical simulations and the experimental ones available in the open literature. The results showed good accuracy of the numerical model in predicting the plastic behavior of the structure as well as the residual velocity of the projectile. A rigorous parametric study was performed using the validated numerical model on the behavior of metal-polymer structures impacted by projectiles with different geometries and moreover, the results were used to provide a mathematical model to estimate the residual velocity of the projectile. For mathematical modeling, new dimensionless numbers were introduced for the penetration process of a rigid projectile to metal-polymer targets using the non-dimensional dynamic equilibrium equations for plates.