Influence of Air Gaps on Long Rod Penetrators Attacking Multi-Plate Target Arrays

摘要

Quarter-scale shots of an L/D 20 65-g U-3/4 Ti long rod penetrator were fired into a series of rolled homogeneous armor targets at normal incidence at nominally 1600 m/s. The purpose was to determine the effect of small air gaps in a laminated stack of plates. Three replications of shots were fired at a monolithic target, a laminated target with plate faces in intimate contact, and at laminated targets separated by 1.55- and 3-mm air gaps. A single shot was fired at a laminated stack separated by 6-mm air gaps. The laminated targets presented significantly less ballistic resistance than did the monolithic targets, and ballistic resistances for the targets with an air gap were less than that for the laminated targets with no air gaps. Computational simulations using the code CTH did not correspond exactly with the experiments, but did show the same observed trends.