Fragments Produced When Tungsten Penetrates Aluminum

Abstract

Tungsten rods were shot through blocks of 6061T6 aluminum. The rods were partially eroded, and the remaining length emerged from behind the aluminum accompanied by a large number of small tungsten particles. These constitute behind-armor debris, which is of great practical importance. Analysis of data shows that most debris is generated near the exit face of the aluminum, the particle number increases with velocity, and the particle size increases with rod diameter. The latter two observations are consistent with the Grady–Kipp theory for rate effects on fracture.