High-velocity impact of large caliber tungsten projectiles on ordinary Portland and calcium aluminate cement based HPSFRC and SIFCON slabs. Part I: experimental investigations

Impact experiments have been carried out on concrete slabs. The first group was traditionally manufactured, densely reinforced concrete targets, and the next were ordinary Portland and calcium aluminate cement based HPSFRC (High performance steel fiber reinforced concrete) and SIFCON (Slurry infiltrated concrete) targets. All specimens were hit by anti-armor tungsten projectiles at a muzzle velocity of over 4 Mach causing destructive perforation. In Part I of this article, production and experimental procedures are described. The first group of specimens were ordinary CEM I 42.5 R cement based targets including only dense reinforcement. In the second and third groups, specimens were produced using CEM I 42.5 R cement and Calcium Aluminate Cement (CAC40) with ordinary reinforcement and steel fibers 2 percent in volume. In the fourth group, SIFCON specimens including 12 percent of steel fibers without reinforcement were tested. A high-speed camera was used to capture impact and residual velocities of the projectile. Sample tests were performed to obtain mechanical properties of the materials. In the companion Part II of this study, numerical investigations and simulations performed will be presented. Few studies exist that examine high-velocity impact effects on CAC40 based HPSFRC targets, so this investigation gives an insight for comparison of their behavior with Portland cement based and SIFCON specimens.