Crack And Damage Velocities In Ballistic Experiments

A series of ballistic impact experiments were conducted against a borosilicate glass (Borofloat 33) bonded to a polycarbonate substrate. Two of the objectives of the experiments were to measure crack velocities in the glass, and to measure the damage velocity in the glass. The speed of distinct propagating cracks was found to be 1.92±0.03 km/s, independent of impact velocity. The maximum rate of damage propagation was found to be a function of impact velocity, but the damage velocity plateaued at 2.07±0.04 km/s.