Perpustakaan Digital ITB

Rising geopolitical uncertainty highlights the critical need for nations to achieve self-sufficiency in defense manufacturing, particularly in developing advanced armor for military vehicles. Reliance on imported equipment presents risks of future blockades and maintenance difficulties, creating a strong impetus for domestic innovation. This thesis addresses this challenge by designing and evaluating a lightweight, high-performance Fiber Metal Laminate (FML) armor system. The primary objective is to develop an optimized configuration using Rolled Homogeneous Armor (RHA) and T700 carbon fiber composite that meets the EN 1522 FB7 protection standard against a 7.62x51 mm hard-core projectile, while maximizing weight savings over traditional RHA plates. The research methodology is exclusively computational, utilizing the Finite Element Method (FEM) in LS-DYNA to simulate complex ballistic impact phenomena. The numerical model's credibility was first established through rigorous validation against literature, demonstrating low relative errors of just 3% against reference simulations and 8.4% against experimental data. Following this, an optimization model was developed based on data from extensive parametric studies. This model incorporates a correction factor to accurately predict the energy absorption of the complete multi-layered FML structure. The investigation yielded several key findings. Parametric studies identified that cross-ply composite orientations, [±45°], were optimal for maximizing energy absorption by promoting extensive failure mechanisms. The optimization process successfully produced FML designs that defeated the threat, with a 3-layer and 5-layer configuration achieving a significant 20.4% and 15.5% weight reduction compared to a baseline 20 mm RHA plate. Furthermore, increasing the number of layers was found to improve weight efficiency and critically reduce harmful shrapnel generation. The dominant failure modes, including delamination, fragmentation, petalling, and matrix cracking, were successfully captured and analyzed. This work successfully demonstrates that systematically optimized FML armor is a viable lightweight alternative to conventional steel, providing a clear pathway for developing optimized armor system.