Ballistic Penetration Resistance of Reinforced and Non-Reinforced Concrete under High-Velocity Gas-Gun Impact

Abstract:

Concrete is a widely used material for construction, playing a crucial role in infrastructural design. Recently, with the increase in threats and protection requirements, developments and investigations are continually needed in concrete for impact-resistant applications. This study investigates the ballistic performance of sixteen concrete formulations subjected to high-velocity impact using a 12.7×99 mm armour-piercing projectile fired from a single-stage gas gun at an impact velocity of 850 m/s. The experimental campaign evaluated depth of penetration (DOP), mass loss, and failure across different concrete formulations under the same test conditions. Concrete types included ordinary concrete (OC), steel- and basalt-fibre-reinforced mixes, ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC), basalt fibre reinforced concrete (BFRC), rubber aggregate concretes (RSC), and cement-modified variants. Qualitative analysis, high-speed camera sequences, and three-dimensional (3D) scanning were employed to assess the penetration response of each configuration. Results show that UHPC formulations exhibited the best ballistic resistance, with DOP values reduced by nearly 50% compared to ordinary concrete. Steel-fibre-reinforced concretes showed a fibre-dosage-dependent improvement in DOP and material retention, with SF160 emerging as the most balanced solution. In contrast, rubber-modified mixes demonstrated higher DOP but effectively limited surface scabbing. These findings highlight the importance of material composition in optimising ballistic performance and guide the selection of concrete systems for infrastructure protection applications.

• Periodical: Advances in Science and Technology (Volume 171)
• Pages: 155-164
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/p-Nh7Gy0
• Online since: December 2025
• Authors: Henrique Ramos*, Felipe Rodrigues de Souza, Nikolaos Nikos, Omar Ba Nabila, Rafael Savioli, Flavio de Andrade Silva, Rafael Santiago
• Keywords: Ballistic, Concrete, Depth of Penetration, Ultra-High-Performance Concrete

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