Ballistic model for the prediction of penetration depth and residual velocity in adobe: A new interpretation of the ballistic resistance of earthen masonry

In this paper, a new one-dimensional phenomenological model is developed for the assessment of the ballistic performance of Adobe. Adobe is a masonry largely spread in areas of the world involved in military operations. Addressing fundamental ballistic parameters such as residual velocity or penetration depth for this building technology is necessary. The model follows the hypotheses for the ballistic response of concrete targets to high velocity impacts, provided with a dominant contribution of shear friction typical of soils. The hypotheses at the basis of the model are consistent with all experimental evidence collected by authors on Adobe. Adobe brick and mortar belong to the material class of concrete, whereas the overall mechanical parameters are determined by the internal soil mixture, including the percentage of fibre reinforcement. Despite its relative simplicity, the model is capable of well predicting ballistic test results currently available in literature for Adobe, including the data of an experimental campaign recently performed by the authors on real Adobe walls in the field.