A numerical comparison of the ballistic performance of unitary rod and segmented-rods against stationary and moving oblique plates

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the ballistic performance of segmented-rods against stationary or moving oblique plates. To do this, a series of three-dimensional numerical simulations for the impact characteristics of segmented-rods (5 of L/D=1) into stationary or moving oblique thin-plate targets is conduced. To provide a base line data, an L/D=5 unitary rod projectile which has the same mass and kinetic energy is also considered. The ballistic characteristics of the projectiles are evaluated by examining the crater profile in a thick witness target that is placed behind the oblique plate. The impact velocities considered are 1400, 1800 and 2200 m/s. The results for the test range show that the unitary rod projectile shows better performance in the moving oblique target than the stationary one and the segmented-rods always show slightly better performance in the stationary target. From the impact velocity of 2200 m/s, the outstanding penetration performance of the segmented-rods can be observed. This trend is due to the interaction between the reactive plate and projectile. The extent of the interaction relies on the relative velocities of the plate and projectiles, the plate angle and extended total length of the segmented-rods