How effective is a convex Al 2 O 3 –Nb 2 O 5 ceramic armor?

Abstract Ceramic materials are under increasing attention as a component in ballistic armor, especially for protection against high impact energy ammunition. In multilayered armors, a front ceramic plate can dissipate more than 50% of the impact energy and investigations are continuously trying to increase this performance. This communication revealed, for the first time, how much impact energy is dissipated in an Al2O3–4 wt% Nb2O5 convex-curved surface ceramic armor by high velocity 7.62 mm ammunition. Both ballistic simulation and actual tests indicate a 16–18% superior performance of the convex-curved surface as compared to the flat surface ceramic.