Barriers for School Systems
Faculty Mentor Name
Muna Slewa
Format Preference
Poster
Abstract
In 2018, amidst concerns about a rise in school shootings, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University made efforts to develop a framework to enhance school security. In collaboration with NTS Chesapeake, ballistic and mechanical impact testing was performed on various door and window assemblies, including steel, wood, tempered, laminated, and wired glass doors. The purpose was to evaluate resistance and estimate the time required for forced entry under simulated active-shooter conditions to select the best material for use in schools to prepare for the risk of these incidents. The current phase of this study focuses on A36 low-carbon steel, a widely used structural alloy containing less than 0.3% carbon that is known for its strength, ductility, and weldability and is commonly found in the doors of school buildings. For testing, various plate thicknesses and projectile diameters were evaluated for each material. Analyses include conducting hardness tests of the material and performing microstructural characterization to examine phase changes and deformation behavior near the impact zone, as well as exploring ways to make it stronger and more reliable for this specific situation. Building upon previous work by Dr. Muna Slewa, which identified a partial crystalline phase transformation from body-centered cubic (BCC) to face-centered cubic (FCC) structures under high-velocity impacts, this research aims to quantify the relationship between impact parameters and resulting microstructural changes in A36 steel, with a practical application for school security.
Barriers for School Systems
In 2018, amidst concerns about a rise in school shootings, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University made efforts to develop a framework to enhance school security. In collaboration with NTS Chesapeake, ballistic and mechanical impact testing was performed on various door and window assemblies, including steel, wood, tempered, laminated, and wired glass doors. The purpose was to evaluate resistance and estimate the time required for forced entry under simulated active-shooter conditions to select the best material for use in schools to prepare for the risk of these incidents. The current phase of this study focuses on A36 low-carbon steel, a widely used structural alloy containing less than 0.3% carbon that is known for its strength, ductility, and weldability and is commonly found in the doors of school buildings. For testing, various plate thicknesses and projectile diameters were evaluated for each material. Analyses include conducting hardness tests of the material and performing microstructural characterization to examine phase changes and deformation behavior near the impact zone, as well as exploring ways to make it stronger and more reliable for this specific situation. Building upon previous work by Dr. Muna Slewa, which identified a partial crystalline phase transformation from body-centered cubic (BCC) to face-centered cubic (FCC) structures under high-velocity impacts, this research aims to quantify the relationship between impact parameters and resulting microstructural changes in A36 steel, with a practical application for school security.