Publications

Abstract not provided.

We present a split Hopkinson pressure bar technique to obtain compressive stress-strain data for rock materials. This technique modifies the conventional split Hopkinson bar apparatus by placing a thin copper disk on the impact surface of the incident bar. When the copper disk is impacted by the striker bar, a nondispersive ramp pulse propagates in the incident bar and produces a nearly constant strain rate in a rock sample. Data from experiments with limestone show that the samples are in dynamic stress equilibrium and have constant strain rates over most of the duration of the tests. We also present analytical models that predict the time durations for sample equilibrium and constant strain rate. Model predictions are in good agreement with measurements.

We conducted three sets of depth-of-penetration experiments with limestone targets and 3.0 caliber-radius-head (CRH), ogive-nose steel rod projectiles. The limestone targets had a nominal unconfined compressive strength of 60 MPa, a density of 2.31 kg/m{sup 3}, a porosity of 15%, and a water content less than 0.4%. The ogive-nose rod projectiles with length-to-diameter ratios often were machined from 4340 R{sub c} 45 and Aer Met 100 R{sub c} 53 steel, round stock and had diameters and masses of 7.1 mm, 0.020 kg; 12.7 mm, 0.117 kg; and 25.4 mm, 0.931 kg. Powder guns or a two-stage, light-gas gun launched the projectiles at normal impacts to striking velocities between 0.4 and 1.9 km/s. For the 4340 R{sub c} 45 and Aer Met 100 R{sub c} 53 steel projectiles, penetration depth increased as striking velocity increased to a striking velocity of 1.5 and 1.7 km/s, respectively. For larger striking velocities, the projectiles deformed during penetration without nose erosion, deviated from the shot line, and exited the sides of the target. We also developed an analytical penetration equation that described the target resistance by its density and a strength parameter determined from depth of penetration versus striking velocity data.

We conducted depth of penetration experiments with 7.11-mm-diameter, 74.7-mm-long, spherical-nose, 4340 steel projectiles launched into 250-mm-diameter, 6061-T6511 aluminum targets. To show the effect of projectile strength, we used projectiles that had average Rockwell harnesses of R{sub c} = 36.6, 39.5, and 46.2. A powder gun and two-stage, light-gas guns launched the 0.023 kg projectiles at striking velocities between 0.5 and 3.0 km/s. Post-test radiographs of the targets showed three response regions as striking velocities increased: (1) the projectiles remained visibly undeformed, (2) the projectiles permanently deformed without erosion, and (3) the projectiles eroded and lost mass. To show the effect of projectile strength, we compared depth-of-penetration data as a function of striking velocity for spherical-nose rods with three Rockwell harnesses at striking velocities ranging from 0.5 to 3.0 km/s. To show the effect of nose shape, we compared penetration data for the spherical-nose projectiles with previously published data for ogive-nose projectiles.

The authors conducted perforation experiments with 4340 Rc 38 and T-250 maraging steel, long rod projectiles and HY-100 steel target plates at striking velocities between 80 and 370 m/s. Flat-end rod projectiles with lengths of 89 and 282 mm were machined to nominally 30-mm-diameter so they could be launched from a 30-mm-powder gun without sabots. The target plates were rigidly clamped at a 305-mm-diameter and had nominal thicknesses of 5.3 and 10.5 mm. Four sets of experiments were conducted to show the effects of rod length and plate thickness on the measured ballistic limit and residual velocities. In addition to measuring striking and residual projectile velocities, they obtained framing camera data on the back surfaces of several plates that showed clearly the plate deformation and plug ejection process. They also present a beam model that exhibits qualitatively the experimentally observed mechanisms.

We conducted depth of penetration experiments into limestone targets with 3.0 caliber-radius-head, 4340 Rc 45 steel projectiles. Powder guns launched two projectiles with length-to-diameter ratios of ten to striking velocities between 0.4 and 1.5 km/s. Projectiles had diameters and masses of 12.7 mm, 0. 117 kg and 25.4 mm, 0.610 kg. Based on data sets with these two projectile scales, we proposed an empirical penetration equation that described the target by its density and an empirical strength constant determined from penetration depth versus striking velocity data.