Finite Element Simulation of Impact on PASGT Army Helmet

Abstract

This paper presents the numerical simulations to determine the impact resistance of Personal Armor System Ground Troops (PASGT) helmet. Initially impact of spherical projectile on PASGT helmet travelling at 205 m/s is studied. The result of this simulation was used to verify the material data and compare the work with previous literature. Two standard tests, namely the MIL-H-44099A and NIJ-STD-0106.01 Type II helmet are also simulated. For the simulation on MIL-H-44099A, a fragment-simulating projectile (FSP) strikes the helmet with an impact velocity of 610 m/s. For the simulation on NIJ-STD-0106.01 Type II helmet, the projectile is a 9 mm full-jacketed bullet with a striking velocity of 358 m/s. Results from the simulation show that the KEVLARs helmet is able to resist a 9 mm full-jacketed bullet travelling at 358 m/s. The above simulations were performed using Finite Element Method in explicit formulation, implemented through Ansys AUTODYN-3D.