PENETRATION OF CONFINED BORON-CARBIDE TARGETS BY TUNGSTEN LONG RODS AT IMPACT VELOCITIES FROM 1.5 TO 5.0 KM S/

Forty terminal ballistics experiments were performed to measure the pe netration of simple confined boron carbide targets by long tungsten ro ds. Impact velocities ranged from 1.5 to about 5.0 km/s. The experimen ts were performed in the reverse ballistic mode using a two-stage ligh t-gas gun. For tests with velocities 1.493 less than or equal to v les s than or equal to 2.767 km/s, the penetrator diameter was 1.02 mm (0. 040 inch). For tests with impact velocities v greater than or equal to 2.778 km/s the penetrator diameter was 0.762 mm (0.030 inch). For tes ts in the velocity range 2.335 < v < 2.761 km/s both penetrator sizes were used. The length-to-diameter ratio for the penetrator was L/D = 2 0 for all but the three highest velocity tests; in these three tests L /D = 15. Primary instrumentation for these experiments was four indepe ndently timed, 450 kV flash X-rays. These X-rays provided four views o f the penetrator-target interaction during the penetration event from which he following data were determined: p = penetration depth as a fu nction of time, L(r) = remaining length of penetrator as a function of time, as well as target hole geometry, spatial distribution of the er oded rod material etc. From these data, u = dp/dt = speed of penetrati on into the target, v(c) = d(L - L(r))/dt = ''consumption'' rate of th e long rod and final penetration depth were obtained. Copyright (C) 19 96 Elsevier Science Ltd.