Investigation of ballistic and radiation properties of aa2024/b4c functionally graded composite materials

Functional armor materials are highly engineered composite systems that aim to both effectively absorb impact energy and maintain structural integrity by gradually changing the interlayer material composition and microstructure. In this study, AA2024/B4C (wt. 0-40%) composite powders were produced by powder metallurgy in both single layer and functional graded (two, three and four layers). The samples, which underwent high-energy ball milling, hot press sintering at 500 MPa pressure and 560 °C, were extensively characterized in terms of morphology, phase composition, thermal stability, density, tensile strength, hardness, free-fall impact strength and gamma ray attenuation performance. The analysis results revealed that the three-layer L35/10/20 composite with moderate B4C content offered the most balanced mechanical performance with a tensile strength of approximately 360 MPa and impact strength of 90.6 kN. In single layer composites, 10% B4C reinforcement was found to be an efficient alternative in terms of both mechanical and radiation absorption.