Ballistic Penetration of Perma-Gel.

In this study a number of experiments were performed by taking high-speed footage of the firing spherical steel bullets at different speeds into Perma-Gel, a new synthetic thermoplastic material touted to exhibit similar properties to ordnance ballistic gelatin. We found that the gel undergoes very large and recoverable elastic deformations, which could strongly affect the dynamics of the temporary cavity formed behind the projectile. As with ordnance ballistic gelatin, the diameter of the temporary cavity can be many times the diameter of the projectile, in contrast with that of the permanent cavity which is several times smaller. We also observed that the closure of the cavity chokes the air inside, which could affect its dynamics in noticeable ways. Finally, one of the experiments suggest that the precise model of material failure may not be important to determine the dynamics of the temporary cavity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]