PENETRATION MECHANICS OF SEG-TEL PENETRATORS

Numerical simulations have been used to investigate the penetration pe rformance of a segmented telescopic (seg-tel) penetrator between 1.6 a nd 2.5 km/s, with an emphasis at the higher impact velocities. Where a pplicable, the simulations are compared to experimental data. The simu lations demonstrate that the penetration process of the seg-tel penetr ator deviates in several fundamental ways from that of an ideal monoli thic L/D 1 segmented penetrator. The paper focuses on the penetration mechanics of seg-tel projectiles, including single and multi-segment p enetrators, as well as individual component elements of the seg-tel pe netrator. It is shown that the mechanics of the penetration of the tub ular element forces penetrator material to remain along the center of the penetration axis which interferes with the penetration of subseque nt segments. A limited experimental effort supports the conclusions dr awn from the numerical simulations.