High hardness ceramics are commonly used in lightweight armor systems to defeat the intrusion of high-speed armor piercing (AP) projectiles. However, bare ceramic tiles are intrinsically brittle, and fragments of various sizes can be generated when subjected to impact, which can cause secondary impact to the wearer and surroundings. In a typical armor design, the ceramic tile is usually covered with a compliant thin sheet to mitigate fragments splattering. In this study, the effect of a Kevlar-29 composite cover layer on a bilayer ceramic/composite armor system is investigated through a combined approach of experimental testing and finite element (FE) simulation. In the experiments, 7.62 mm APM2 projectiles were used to impact single Kevlar-29 composite layer covered ceramic/composite armor systems at three different velocities: 884 m/s, 1070 m/s and 1164 m/s. The restraining effect of the cover layer on the ceramic fragments was clearly observed. A 3D FE model was further developed to analyze the covering effect through the definition of a cohesive surface behavior at the interface between the cover layer and the ceramic tile. The FE model successfully captured the peeling behavior of the cover layer and dominant fracture patterns in the ceramic tile. It shows that, the cover layer can improve the ballistic resistance of the armor system through two major mechanisms: the energy dissipation by itself and its effect on fracture process of the ceramic tile. A high bond strength at the interface can also improve the energy dissipating capability of the armor system.

高硬度陶瓷通常用于轻型装甲系统，以抵御高速穿甲弹 (AP) 的侵入。然而，裸露的瓷砖本质上是脆性的，在受到冲击时会产生各种大小的碎片，对佩戴者和周围环境造成二次冲击。在典型的装甲设计中，瓷砖通常覆盖有柔顺的薄片，以减少碎片飞溅。在这项研究中，通过实验测试和有限元 (FE) 模拟的组合方法研究了 Kevlar-29 复合覆盖层对双层陶瓷/复合装甲系统的影响。在实验中，使用 7.62 毫米 APM2 弹丸以三种不同的速度撞击单个 Kevlar-29 复合层覆盖的陶瓷/复合装甲系统：884 m/s、1070 米/秒和 1164 米/秒。可以清楚地观察到覆盖层对陶瓷碎片的抑制作用。进一步开发了一个 3D FE 模型，通过定义覆盖层和瓷砖之间界面的粘性表面行为来分析覆盖效果。有限元模型成功捕获了覆盖层的剥离行为和瓷砖中的主要断裂模式。结果表明，覆盖层可以通过自身的能量耗散和对瓷砖断裂过程的影响两大机制来提高装甲系统的防弹能力。界面处的高结合强度还可以提高装甲系统的能量耗散能力。进一步开发了一个 3D FE 模型，通过定义覆盖层和瓷砖之间界面的粘性表面行为来分析覆盖效果。有限元模型成功捕获了覆盖层的剥离行为和瓷砖中的主要断裂模式。结果表明，覆盖层可以通过自身的能量耗散和对瓷砖断裂过程的影响两大机制来提高装甲系统的防弹能力。界面处的高结合强度还可以提高装甲系统的能量耗散能力。进一步开发了一个 3D FE 模型，通过定义覆盖层和瓷砖之间界面的粘性表面行为来分析覆盖效果。有限元模型成功捕获了覆盖层的剥离行为和瓷砖中的主要断裂模式。结果表明，覆盖层可以通过自身的能量耗散和对瓷砖断裂过程的影响两大机制来提高装甲系统的防弹能力。界面处的高结合强度还可以提高装甲系统的能量耗散能力。有限元模型成功捕获了覆盖层的剥离行为和瓷砖中的主要断裂模式。结果表明，覆盖层可以通过自身的能量耗散和对瓷砖断裂过程的影响两大机制来提高装甲系统的防弹能力。界面处的高结合强度还可以提高装甲系统的能量耗散能力。有限元模型成功捕获了覆盖层的剥离行为和瓷砖中的主要断裂模式。结果表明，覆盖层可以通过自身的能量耗散和对瓷砖断裂过程的影响两大机制来提高装甲系统的防弹能力。界面处的高结合强度还可以提高装甲系统的能量耗散能力。