Search

The projectile deflects and even ricochets after an oblique impact on the concrete. However, research on the oblique impact of projectiles on concrete targets mainly focuses on oblique penetration and the critical ricochet angle, and there are few experimental studies on ricochets. Deflection and its influencing factors remain undefined. This study conducted experiments and LS-DYNA numerical simulations on projectiles obliquely impacting C60 concrete targets. The experimental research visually revealed deflection and ricochet phenomena after the oblique impact. The ricochet caused by large-angle impacts can effectively reduce the damaged area of concrete targets. Subsequently, the main governing parameters affecting the deflection angle of the projectile were identified through dimensional analysis, and a sensitivity analysis was performed on these parameters using an orthogonal experimental design. On this basis, the influence of the incident angle, impact velocity, and projectile length-to-diameter ratio on the projectile deflection was further clarified. The results showed that the maximum deflection angle was achieved when a 30 mm caliber projectile obliquely impacted a C60 concrete at an incident angle of ∼45°. In the case of ricochets, the deflection angle increased with an increase in the impact velocity and decreased with an increase in the length-to-diameter ratio. This study aids in predicting and controlling projectile deflection and provides a reference for the innovative design of concrete protective structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to reduce the variation of the water content of processing gas and thereby to reduce its influences on the moisture content and filling value of output tobacco from HDT pneumatic tobacco dryer, an automatic control system was designed. The optimal water content of the processing gas was determined via analyzing its relationship with the filling value of the tobacco to be dried. The water content was calculated according to the oxygen content and other parameters of the processing gas, and the actual water content was controlled within a range of set value±2% through adjusting the opening of an exhaust valve. The system was tested on the expanded cut stems for cigarette brand "Shuangxi (Lianxiang)" in Guangzhou Cigarette Factory. The results showed that the standard deviations of water content and temperature of the processing gas decreased by 51.37% and 27.66%, those of moisture content and filling value of output cut stems reduced by 13.33% and 36.96%, respectively; the filling value of cut stems increased from 6.69 to 6.83 cm³/g. This technology provides a support for promoting the quality of dried cut tobacco and cut stems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlike previous mechanical actuator loading methods, in this study, a hydrodynamic loading method was employed in a flow flume for simulating ocean currents induced submarine pipeline stability on a sandy seabed. It has been observed that, in the process of pipeline losing lateral stability in currents, there usually exist three characteristic times: (1) onset of sand scour; (2) slight lateral displacement of pipeline; and (3) breakout of pipeline. An empirical linear relationship is established between the dimensionless submerged weight of pipeline and Froude number for describing pipeline lateral stability in currents, in which the current-pipe-soil coupling effects are reflected. Scale effects are examined with the method of 'modeling of models,' and the sand particle size effects on pipeline stability are also discussed. Moreover, the pipeline stability in currents is compared with that in waves, which indicates that the pipeline laid directly upon the sandy seabed is more laterally stable in currents than in waves. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9399(2007)133:10(1086) CE Database subject headings: Submarine pipelines; Ocean waves; Stability; Sea floor; Hydrodynamics.

The existing Det Norske Veritas (DNV) Recommended Practice RP E305 for pipeline on-bottom stability is mainly based on the pipe-soil interaction model reported by Wagner et al. in 1987, and the wake model reported by Lambrakos et al. in 1987, to calculate the soil resistance and the hydrodynamic forces upon pipeline, respectively. Unlike the methods in the DNV Practice, in this paper, an improved analysis method is proposed for the on-bottom stability of a submarine pipeline, which is based on the relationships between [U.sub.m]/[(gD).sup.0.5] and [W.sub.s]/([gamma][D.sup.2]) for various restraint conditions obtained by the hydrodynamic loading experiments, taking into account the coupling effects between wave, pipeline, and sandy seabed. The analysis procedure is illustrated with a detailed flow chart. A comparison is made between the submerged weights of pipeline predicted with the DNV Practice and those with the new method. The proposed analysis method may provide a helpful tool for the engineering practice of pipeline on-bottom stability design. CE Database subject headings: Submarine pipelines: Offshore pipelines: Analytical techniques: Sea floors; Wave forces.

The ricochet phenomenon has been studied worldwide for a long time in consideration of its significance in ballistics. A ricochet projectile has proven to be worthless to its launcher, as warheads fail to penetrate the interior of targets and strike the facilities and personnel of enemies effectively. A large portion of related research has been dedicated to avoiding ricocheting, which mainly focuses on improving the penetration ability of a projectile in order to obtain a better penetration effect, while investigations on the proactive protection of key targets from damage caused by a ricochet projectile are minor. This study analytically explores the ricochet range of a projectile obliquely penetrating a thick steel target. Firstly, the moment of momentum equation of the ricochet projectile based on theoretical mechanics is utilised to analytically calculate its trajectory, where a mathematical model of a two-stage ricochet impacting is established through the geometrical analysis of the ricochet process for determining the ricochet range of a projectile and the size of the bulletproof structure. Then, impact experiments of a projectile obliquely penetrating thick steel targets at different striking velocities and inclination angles are carried out, and the influences of the striking velocity and angle of attack on the damage pattern, area and penetration depth are discussed to identify the ricochet phenomenon. Moreover, the deflection angle of the ricochet projectile is computed, which is compared with the experimental measurements in order to validate the accuracy of this proposed model. This proposed research may promote security protection during live-firing training and provide a theoretical foundation for the optimisation of purposeful protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]