High impact resistance with less material: a comparative study of Kagome truss and conventional rebar in concrete panels

This study experimentally validated a three-dimensional Kagome truss as a highly efficient alternative to conventional rebar for enhancing the projectile impact resistance of concrete panels. In this experiment, three types of panels with identical dimensions were fabricated: conventional RC panel (CP-2), RC panel with increased rebar (CP-4), and Kagome truss reinforced concrete panel (CP-K). High-velocity projectile impact tests were conducted to analyze the failure patterns on the front and rear faces, penetration depth, mass loss ratio, and damaged area of each panel. The experimental results showed that the CP-K panel withstood a greater number of impacts before perforation compared to the CP-2 and CP-4 panels. Furthermore, the CP-K panel exhibited smaller front and rear failure zones, less penetration depth, and a lower mass loss ratio. Notably, despite using a lower weight of reinforcement than the CP-4 panel, the Kagome truss-reinforced CP-K panel demonstrated superior impact resistance, establishing its potential as a material-efficient alternative for protective structures. • Kagome truss offers high impact resistance with less reinforcement material. • Kagome-reinforced concrete panels withstand more projectile impacts before perforation. • The 3D truss geometry provides more effective and homogeneous load distribution. • Kagome truss reinforcement reduces crater area and mass loss.