Analytical investigation on deformation of PELE projectile and opening damage to concrete target

A penetrator with enhanced lateral effects (PELE), which is a particular thin-walled structure, is characterized by a low-density filling material surrounded by a high-density jacket material. When the PELE projectile penetrates a concrete target, the target is destroyed by its thin-walled jacket to a large opening. An analytical model describing deformation mode of the jacket during the penetration process is presented. Due to opening diameter of target plate is larger than projectile diameter under condition of a thin concrete target, a relationship between opening diameter of target plate and projectile diameter, based on existing experimental results of ridge projectile penetrating thin concrete target, is formulated. The relationship combined with the analytical model is used to predict opening diameter of concrete target. A quantitative comparison between the jacket deformation mode obtained from analytical results and experimental results is made to validate the accuracy of the analytical model proposed. As a result, the analytical results exhibit good correlation with experimental observations in terms of the opening diameter of target plate and the deformation mode of projectile jacket. In addition, the influence mechanism of three factors (jacket strength, impact velocity, and target thickness) on the opening diameter is analyzed. The jacket strength affects the opening diameter by changing the plastic limit bending moment of the jacket. Even though the impact velocity affects the opening diameter by changing the interaction force between the jacket and the target, it is equivalent to indirectly changing the jacket strength. However, the target thickness affects the opening diameter by changing the penetration time.