Welding Processes and Ballistic Performance of Armor Steel
Summary
Welding of armour steel demands a careful balance between metallurgical integrity and protective performance. Common fusion processes—from Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) and Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) to advanced Plasma Transferred Arc (PTA) and laser methods—must be tailored to high-hardness alloys that are susceptible to hydrogen-induced cracking and softening in the heat-affected zone (HAZ). Control of heat input, filler composition and cooling rates governs the evolution of microstructures such as tempered martensite and bainite, which in turn determine hardness, toughness and ballistic resistance. Optimised procedures aim to minimise weakened HAZ regions, preserve base-metal strength and ensure welds achieve comparable V50 limit velocities under projectile impact. Such refinements are critical for lightweight vehicle armour, structural retrofits and next-generation protective systems where global forces demand both resilience and weight efficiency.
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Welding Processes and Ballistic Performance of Armor Steel publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in welding processes and ballistic performance of armor steel across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Heat-affected zone (HAZ): the region of material adjacent to the weld metal that undergoes microstructural changes due to thermal cycling.
Bainite: a plate-like microstructure formed in steels at intermediate cooling rates, offering a combination of strength and toughness.
Tempered martensite: martensitic steel structure reheated to a moderate temperature to reduce brittleness and refine mechanical properties.
V50 limit velocity: the projectile speed at which there is a 50 percent probability of complete penetration, used to quantify ballistic resistance.
Plasma Transferred Arc-Metal Active Gas (PTA-MAG): a hybrid welding technique that combines a plasma transferred arc with MAG to optimise heat input and dilution.
Yb:YAG laser: a solid-state laser source using yttrium aluminium garnet doped with ytterbium, valued for precision in high-strength steel welding.
References
- Selected properties of RAMOR 500 steel welded joints by hybrid PTA-MAG. Journal of Advanced Joining Processes (2022).
- Laser Welding of ARMOX 500T Steel. Materials (2024).
- Microstructure Effect of Heat Input on Ballistic Performance of Welded High Strength Armor Steel. Materials (2021).
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