Dl. Orphal et al., PENETRATION OF CONFINED BORON-CARBIDE TARGETS BY TUNGSTEN LONG RODS AT IMPACT VELOCITIES FROM 1.5 TO 5.0 KM S/, International journal of impact engineering, 19(1), 1997, pp. 15-29
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.