BALLISTIC EFFECT OF BALL AMMUNITION ON AA5059-H131 ALUMINUM ARMOR PLATE

Aluminum alloy, AA5059 has lately found a place on the alloy list of MIL-DTL-46027 which describes the weldable 5xxx aluminum alloy armor plates. Weldability and machinability along with its high mechanical properties and its outstanding performance against corrosion; make this alloy as an ideal candidate for ballistic applications for amphibious vehicles or marine platforms. In this study, ballistic test results of AA5059-H131 aluminum alloy armor plates against ball ammunition are examined. It was observed that 30mm thick AA5059-H131 plates were failed in terms of STANAG 4569 Level1 protection. The critical ball ammunition for AA5059-H131 plates was recorded as 5.56mm SS109. In the literature such as MIL-DTL-46027K tables and ARL reports, effectiveness values belong to protection level 2 and higher are well described. Up to now, there was no available data for Level 1 protection of the AA5059 target plates. Hence, this study also aims to fulfill this gap.