Characteristics Analysis of Various Welding Materials through TACOM Standard Evaluation of High-Hardness Armor Plates

A very thick single-armor material is generally used for bulletproof performance in combat vehicles; as a result, the combat capability is greatly reduced by the heavy weight. The armor plate of a combat vehicle is manufactured by applying a welding process to the joints of high-hardness steel. However, when applying the welding process to the high-hardness armor plate, the hardness decreases owing to hot softening in the heat-affected area, resulting in deterioration of the bulletproof performance. In this study, three different welding materials were selected, and their weld strengths were evaluated according to the TACOM standard. The mechanical properties and microstructures of the welded parts of the three materials were analyzed through tensile, bending, impact, and hardness tests. Finally, the most suitable welding material was selected for the high-hardness armor plate.