Spall and Fracture in 3D Simulations of Penetration Tests into Al7075 Plates

Abstract

In the current study we demonstrate numerical representation of penetration into brittle target. A copper projectile was launched at a velocity of 2000 m/s, towards a thick 7075- T651 aluminum target. The penetration process resulted in the fracture of the target plates as the projectile remnants perforated them. Numerical simulations of the event were performed using simplified constitutive models. The brittle failure model, characterized by a single parameter criterion, was introduced in order to model a brittle fracture and spall if the target.. The spall criterion was adjusted until agreement between the fracture pattern of the numerical model and the target. We found that a single parameter criterion is sufficient for an acceptable representation of the spalling and fracture of the plates. Furthermore, the value of the spall stress is lower than the values reported in literature and that it is mesh size dependent.