Possible detection of failure wave velocity using hypervelocity penetration experiments

Data for projectile penetration of silicon carbide (SiC) from two types of experiments are combined. For impact velocities, v, in the range 1.5 - 4.6 km/s the data are from reverse ballistic two-stage light-gas gun experiment s with long tungsten rods. For impact velocities of about 5 - 7 km/s copper shaped charge jets are the projectile. The data exhibit an apparent inflec tion in the penetration velocity, u, versus impact velocity curve at u appr oximate to 3 km/s, corresponding to v approximate to 4.5 km/s. The apparent decrease in the slope of u versus v for u = 3 km/s, and the consequent rap id increase in the Alekseevskii and Tate target resistance term Rt with v i s tentatively interpreted in terms of a failure wave in SiC. With this inte rpretation the propagation speed of the failure wave in SiC is about 3 km/s or 1/3 of the compressional wave speed. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.