Study the Influence of Fragment Shape on Penetration Failure Process of Thin Target Plate

Abstract In order to study the influence of fragment shape on the process of penetrating the target plate, the spherical and cubic structural steel fragments of the same mass which penetrating aluminum target plate has been studied by theoretical and numerical simulation calculations. The theoretical calculation shows that the ballistic limit velocity of the fragments of the cube structure is higher than that of the spherical structure when the fragments of the same mass penetrate the target plate of the same thickness. Numerical simulations have obtained the penetration process and failure rule of the fragment to the target plate. The results show that the target plate failure during the penetration process of the spherical fragment is a tensile failure mode, however, the penetration process of the cube structure fragment are shear and tensile mixed failure modes.