ABSTRACT

Evolution of the ballistic threat has taken place, principally, in the contexts of general war, terrorism and crime. The threat has been developed to cause injury or damage to personnel, land vehicles, ships, aircraft and structures. Inert projectiles will cause only localised damage to structural targets and therefore normally constitute a less potent threat to the survival of the structure than rounds with high explosive content. Nonetheless, provision of adequate protection to personnel and equipment within structural targets against projectiles and fragments can be of crucial importance in protective design. This chapter describes the spectnun of ballistic threats to which a target could be subjected and the mechanisms by which each threat causes damage to the target. A discussion of terminology used in describing projectile-target interaction is presented, together with the definitions of fundamental parameters used in the study of terminal ballistics. A range of penetration prediction equations is presented and their applicability to the design of armour systems is discussed. This is complemented by a brief description of the way in which computer codes can be used in predicting target response. Finally, some modem armour strategies, normally adopted for mobile targets, will be discussed with particular reference to their applicability for structural targets.