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Research Article
Numerical Simulation and Experimental Study on Shaped Charge
Warhead of Guided Ammunition
Guangsong Ma
and Guanglin He
Science and Technology on Electromechanical Dynamic Control Laboratory, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 10081, China
Correspondence should be addressed to Guanglin He; heguanglin@bit.edu.cn
Received 13 November 2020; Revised 4 March 2021; Accepted 1 May 2021; Published 13 May 2021
Academic Editor: Fabio Minghini
Copyright ©2021 Guangsong Ma and Guanglin He. is is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons
Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is
properly cited.
To study the jet penetration capability of shaped charge warhead of guided ammunition, a variable cone angle-shaped charge liner
was designed. LS-DYNA software is used to simulate the penetration capability of shaped charge warhead with three different
metal materials (copper, steel, and aluminum). Numerical simulation results show that the velocity of the shaped charge jet
formed by the three kinds of materials is v
aluminum >vcopper >vsteel, and the residual velocity after penetration is
Vsteel >Valuminum >Vcopper, the time when the jet starts to break is t
copper
>t
steel
>t
aluminum
, and the penetration completion time is
T
copper
<T
aluminum
<T
steel
; therefore, according to the numerical simulation results, copper was selected as the liner material, and
the principle prototype is made for the experiment. e results of numerical simulation and experiment show that the shaped
charge warhead with copper shaped charge liner has good penetration ability and after-effect damage ability to steel target after
penetrating the guidance section, steering gear section, and control section.
1. Introduction
Since the discovery of the shaped charge effect of explosives
in the 19th century, the shaped charge warhead with a
shaped charge has been widely used due to its excellent
penetration ability. e shaped charge has been developed;
three types of shaped charge have been developed: jetting
projectile charge (JPC), explosively formed projectile (EFP),
and shaped charge jet (SCJ) [1–3]. To better understand the
formation mechanism and penetration mechanism of SCJs,
Rosenberg et al. [4] studied the formation and penetration
mechanism of shaped charge projectile, long rod projectile,
and shaped charge jet by combining experimental obser-
vation with numerical simulation and engineering model.
Bai et al. [5] have studied the penetration of steel targets with
pure tungsten, W-Ni-Fe alloy, and W-Cu alloy charge and
found that the interaction between jet and target is an
important factor affecting the penetration performance of
jet. In the process of jet formation, when the SCJs extend to a
certain extent, the fracture phenomenon will occur. Ren
et al. [6] studied the fracture of the jet by combining the-
oretical analysis and experiment. e study found that the
formation of the jet is broken, there is a central hole in the
metal block, and there are fluctuations during the formation
of the central hole, which may be one of the reasons that
cause the jet to break. However, the penetration perfor-
mance of the SCJs can be controlled by external interference.
For example, the penetration performance of SCJs can be
improved or reduced by the control of the electromagnetic
field on SCJs [7]. Shvetsov et al. [8] analyzed the effect of
electromagnetic fields on the penetration of SCJs by theo-
retical analysis. e results show that the penetration effect
of the SCJs is weakened under the action of the electro-
magnetic field. Ma et al. [9, 10] studied the influence of a
strong external magnetic field on the penetration of the
target by a combination of the depth of penetration (DOP)
test and X-ray; the results showed that the stability and
penetration depth of the SCJs are better than those of natural
conditions under the influence of the external strong
magnetic field. Ma et al. [11] studied the acceleration effect of
Hindawi
Shock and Vibration
Volume 2021, Article ID 6658676, 15 pages
https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/6658676
the electromagnetic field on the SCJs through theoretical
analysis and experimental verification; the research results
showed that the electromagnetic field can increase the axial
velocity of the SCJs. In addition to improving or reducing
the penetration depth of SCJs by changing the external
interference conditions, the main factors affecting the
penetration depth of the SCJs are the blast height, the cone
angle of the liner, the material of the liner, the performance
of the explosive, and the presence or absence of separator.
Dehestani et al. [12] studied the influence of explosive height
and thickness of the liner on penetration performance
through numerical simulation and experimental verifica-
tion. Li et al. [13] studied the penetration ability of the SCJs
by a ring-shaped multipoint synchronous detonation
through a combination of theoretical calculations, numerical
simulations, and experiments and found that multipoint
synchronous initiation can improve the penetration ability
of jet and improve the utilization rate of the shaped charge.
Xu et al. [3] proposed a bore-center annular shaped charge
(BCASC) and studied the penetration ability of the SCJs
through experiments and numerical simulations; the results
showed that the maximum wall thickness has a great in-
fluence on the penetration diameter and penetration depth
of BCASC. e target plate also has a great influence on the
penetration performance of shaped charge. Xiao et al. [14]
analyzed the penetration ability of the SCJs on concrete with
different strengths through theoretical analysis and exper-
imental verification; the results showed that with the in-
crease of concrete strength, the projectile diameter of the
SCJs penetrating concrete decreases, and it is difficult for
low-velocity jet particles to reach the bottom of the crater,
which leads to the decrease of penetration depth of shaped
charge jet. Besides, the penetration ability of the SCJs is
affected by the interaction between jet particles and ultra-
high-strength concrete. Zhu et al. [15] studied the pene-
tration of high-strength and ultrahigh-strength concrete by
the SCJs through a combination of theoretical analysis and
experiments and proposed four penetration stages; the jet
may experience different penetration stages when it pene-
trates high or ultrahigh concrete targets, which will affect the
penetration result of the SCJs. Elshenawy et al. [16] studied
the penetration ability of the SCJs to Rolled Homogeneous
Armor (RHA) through experiment and numerical simula-
tion; the results showed that the penetration depth of the
SCJs into the RHA target is greatly reduced with the increase
of yield strength of target plate. e method of theoretical
analysis and experimental verification was used by Jia et al.
[17], who studied the disturbing effect of the SCJs when
penetrating composite armor, and the results showed that
the axial velocity, disturbance area, and lateral force have a
great influence on the jet deformation. Xu et al. [18] con-
ducted experiments and numerical simulations to study the
jet formation and penetration capabilities of the ultrahigh
velocity formed charge of five different material discs cov-
ering the truncated cone-shaped charge-shaped cover; the
results showed that the length and head velocity of jet
formed by an ultrahigh velocity forming charge with
tungsten disk is larger than those of other materials. Guo
et al. [19] have studied the penetration performance of the
reactive liner to the target through experiments and nu-
merical simulations; the study found that the reactive liner
can penetrate a thicker steel plate, resulting in a larger
aperture; however, the penetration depth is very small, and
the reaction delay time of the reactive liner is the main factor
for the penetration depth [19]. In the traditional shaped
charge, adding waveshaper can improve the penetration
ability of shaped charge, different from the traditional
shaped charge; the influence of the waveshaper on the
penetration ability of the reactive liner was studied in ref-
erence [20]. e research results showed that the waveshaper
has a negative impact on the penetration ability of the re-
active liner; the waveshaper shortens the reaction time of the
reactive liner and reduces the penetration performance.
Wang et al. [21] studied the penetration performance of
double-layer reactive liner by numerical simulation and
experiment, and the results showed that the double-layer
reactive liner can enhance the penetration depth of the
shaped charge jet. With the development of shaped charge
warhead technology, armor protection technology is also
developing, and reaction armor is used to deal with a shaped
charge warhead. To enable the SCJs to effectively penetrate
the armored target, the technology of tandem armor-
piercing warhead has entered the field of vision of re-
searchers. Ding et al. [22] used numerical simulation method
to study the penetration of low-density material liner into
reactive armor, and the results showed that the SCJs formed
by low-density material liner can effectively destroy reactive
armor.
According to the research in literature, researchers have
studied the penetration performance of the SCJs from dif-
ferent aspects, including the shaping and penetration
mechanism of the SCJs [4–6], the influence of electromagnetic
characteristics on the penetration performance of the SCJs
[7–11], the influence of target material on the penetration
ability of the SCJs [3, 14–18], and the application of reactive
materials in the liner [19–22]. Researchers have done a lot of
research in improving or offsetting the penetration ability of
the SCJs. ese studies have great significance in promoting
the development of the SCJs warhead technology. At present,
in terms of specific engineering applications, traditional
materials have certain advantages. Wang et al. [23] used the
method of numerical simulation and experiment to study the
penetration of the spacer target and the layered target with the
three materials of copper, steel, and aluminum, and the results
showed that the depth of the SCJs penetrating the spacer
target and the layered target is the largest when the material is
copper and the cone angle is less than 120°. As a part of a
certainly guided munition fuse and warhead system, the
designed shaped charge needs to penetrate the guidance
compartment, steering gear compartment, and control
compartment first and still has good penetration capability
and after-effect performance against armored targets.
erefore, this study designed a variable cone angle liner, the
penetration ability of the SCJs formed by three different metal
liners on the target plate is numerically simulated, and their
penetration ability to target plate is analyzed and compared.
One of the metal liners is selected to conduct a penetration
test on a layered target.
2Shock and Vibration
2. Structural Design
2.1. Warhead Structure Design. e charge diameter of the
warhead designed in this research is 100 mm and the charge
height is 130 mm. To improve the jet performance and
improve the effect of armor-piercing, the liner adopts a
variable wall thickness and variable cone angle design, the
top thickness of the liner is 1.4 mm, the thickness of the liner
edge is 2 mm, the cone angle at the top of the liner is 38°, and
the cone angle at the edge is 60°. e designed warhead
structure is shown in Figure 1.
2.2. Structure Equivalence of Guidance Cabin. To simulate
the penetration of shaped charge jet into the simulation
cabin (containing guidance cabin, steering gear cabin, and
control cabin), according to the physical characteristics of
various parts and materials in the simulation cabin, the cabin
is equivalently treated; that is, the steering gear, motor, shell,
and other metal components in the simulation cabin are
equivalent to the steel plate and aluminum plate with a
certain thickness; the circuit board and other parts in the
simulation cabin are equivalent to a certain thickness of the
plastic plate. e equivalent structure diagram is shown in
Figure 2.
In the structural model of the SCJ warhead penetration
simulation cabin shown in Figure 2, the simulation cabin
includes the control cabin (1–5 layers), the steering gear
cabin (6–18 layers), and the guidance cabin (19–25 layers);
the number, name, and thickness of each layer of slices and
the distance between each layer in the simulated cabin are
shown in Table 1.
3. Numerical Simulation
3.1. Finite Element Model. At present, the mainstream grid
construction software includes HyperMesh, FEMB, true
grid, and ICEM [24]. e preprocessing required by the LS-
DYNA solver can be carried out by various means. In this
study, HyperMesh is used to preprocess the designed shaped
charge penetration model. e established penetration
model is imported into HyperMesh for grid division; the
liner grid, charge grid, and air domain grid are mainly
hexahedral grids and prismatic pentahedral grids; among
them, common nodes are used on the interface between the
liner grid and the charge grid, common nodes are used on
the interface between the liner grid and the air domain grid,
common nodes are used on the interface between the charge
grid and the air domain grid, and all the 26 layers target plate
are hexahedral grids. Due to the large deformation of the SCJ
when it penetrates the target plate, in order to avoid errors
such as negative volume in the numerical simulation, the
numerical simulation adopts the fluid-structure interaction
algorithm; therefore, the air domain grid and the target plate
grid must overlap. Since the shaped charge warhead pen-
etration model in this study is an axisymmetric structure, to
reduce the amount of calculation, the established quarter
finite element model is shown in Figure 3; the number of
elements is 740220.
It can be seen from Figure 3 that the finite element model
of SCJ penetrating the target plate mainly includes explosive,
liner, air, simulated cabin, and steel target. Among them, the
three materials of the explosive, liner, and air are modeled by
Eulerian grid, the elements are based on multimaterial group
algorithm, the simulation cabin and steel target are modeled
by Lagrange method, and the simulation cabin, steel target,
and air and liner are modeled by fluid-structure coupling
algorithm.
From the finite element model shown in Figure 3, it can
be seen that the order of the SCJ generated by the shaped
charge to penetrate the target plate is simulation cabin
(including control cabin, steering gear cabin, and guidance
cabin) and steel plate; among them, the penetration model
contains 26 layers of spaced targets. To study the velocity of
the shaped jet after penetrating the target plate, five ob-
servation points are set to record the head velocity of the
shaped jet. e set observation points are shown in Figure 4.
In Figure 4, observation point 1 represents the velocity of
the SCJ before penetrating the target plate, observation point
2 represents the velocity of the SCJ after penetrating the
control cabin, and observation point 3 represents the ve-
locity of the SCJ after penetrating the steering gear cabin,
observation point 4 represents the velocity after the SCJ
penetrates the guidance cabin, and observation point 5
represents the velocity after the SCJ completes its
penetration.
3.2. Material Constitutive Model and Parameters. In the fi-
nite element model as shown in Figure 3, 8701 explosives are
selected [19, 25], high explosive material model and JWL
(Jones Wilkins Lee) state equation are used, material pa-
rameters are shown in Table 2, and JWL state equation
expression is shown in equation (1).
General pressure expression of the JWL equation of state
is as follows [24]:
p�A1−ω
r1V
e−r1V+B1−ω
r2V
e−r2V+ωE
V,(1)
where A,B,r1,r2, and ωare material constants; Vis the
initial relative volume; Eis the initial specific internal energy;
ρis the initial explosive density; PCJ is the detonation
pressure; Dis the detonation speed; pis the hydrostatic
pressure.
In this study, the liner materials are copper, steel, alumi-
num, and tungsten; the material model is JOHNSON_COOK,
and the state equation is described by GRUNEISEN. e
material parameters are shown in Table 3, the expression of
the GRUNEISEN equation of state in compression state is
shown in equation (2), and the expression in expansion state
is shown in equation (3).
Shock and Vibration 3
Expression of GRUNEISEN equation of state in the
compressed state is as follows [26, 27]:
p�ρ0C2μ1+1−c0/2
μ− (α/2)μ2
1−S1−1
μ−S2μ2/(μ+1)
−S3μ3/(μ+1)2
2+c0+αμ
E. (2)
Expression of GRUNEISEN equation of state in ex-
pansion state is as follows:
p�ρ0C2μ+c0+αμ
E, (3)
where Eis the initial internal energy; Cis the intercept of the
vs−vpcurve; S1,S2, and S3are the coefficients of the slope of
the vs−vpcurve; c0is the GRUNEISEN coefficient; αis the
first-order volume, correction of c0.
e material model in the simulation cabin adopts
PLASTIC_KINEMATIC, and the material parameters are
shown in Table 4.
3.3. Numerical Simulation Result and Analysis. When the
liner material is copper, the penetration results of the SCJ are
shown in Figure 5.
It can be seen from Figure 5(a), when the liner material is
copper, the SCJ starts to penetrate the control cabin in the
simulation cabin at about 26 μs. At this time, the shape of the
SCJ is complete, there is no shrinkage or fracture, and the
head velocity of the SCJ reaches the maximum value; that is,
the head velocity is 8248 m/s; in Figure 5(b), the penetration
into the control cabin is completed at about 35 μs. At this
time, the shape of the SCJ is still complete, and there is no
shrinkage or fracture; due to the interaction between the SCJ
particles and the target plate, the head speed of the SCJ
decreases, the head speed of the SCJ is 6302 m/s; in
Figure 5(c), the penetration of the steering gear cabin is
completed at about 113 μs. With the extension of the length
of the SCJ, the difference in velocity between the head and
tail of the SCJ becomes larger and larger; at this time, the SCJ
begins to shrink and fracture. At the same time, due to the
interaction between the particles of the SCJ and the target
plate, the head speed of the SCJ continues to decrease, and
the head speed of the SCJ is 5039 m/s; in Figure 5(d), the
penetration of the guidance cabin is completed at 165 μs. At
this time, the SCJ can be seen to be fracture obviously; so far,
the SCJ has completed the penetration of the whole simu-
lation cabin, and the head velocity of the SCJ is 4240 m/s; in
Figure 5(e), the SCJ started to penetrate the 25 mm steel
plate, and the penetration of the 25 mm steel target is
completed at about 182 μs. Due to the unstable movement of
the fracture SCJ in the air, the particles of the SCJ overturn,
resulting in an irregular hole on the 25 mm steel plate when
the jet penetrates the 25 mm steel plate, and the velocity of
the SCJ is 3184m/s. It can be seen that the total penetration
time is 182 μs, which is T
Cooper
�182 μs. e velocity curve of
the SCJ in the whole penetration process is shown in
Figure 6.
According to Figure 6, the velocity of the SCJ at ob-
servation point 1 is 8248 m/s, that at observation point 2 is
6302 m/s, that at observation point 3 is 5039 m/s, that at
observation point 4 is 4240 m/s, and that at observation
point 5 is 3184 m/s. From the beginning of the SCJ pene-
trating the simulation cabin to the completion of the pen-
etration of the 25 mm Q235 steel target, the velocity of the
SCJ decreased from 8248 m/s to 3184 m/s, which decreased
by 61.4%.
When the liner material is steel, the penetration results of
the SCJ are shown in Figure 7.
It can be seen from Figure 7(a), when the liner material is
steel, the SCJ starts to penetrate the control cabin in the
simulation cabin at about 24.8 μs. At this time, the shape of
the SCJ is complete, and there is no shrinkage or fracture, the
head velocity of the SCJ reaches the maximum value; that is,
the head velocity is 7867 m/s and, in Figure 7(b), the pen-
etration of the control cabin is completed at about 40 μs. At
this time, the shape of the SCJ is still complete, and there is
no shrinkage or fracture; due to the interaction between the
SCJ particles and the target plate, the head speed of the SCJ
decreases and the head speed of the SCJ is 6505 m/s and, in
Figure 7(c), the penetration of the steering gear cabin is
completed at about 118 μs. With the extension of the length
of the SCJ, the difference in velocity between the head and
tail of the SCJ becomes larger and larger; at this time, the SCJ
begins to shrink and fracture. At the same time, due to the
interaction between the particles of the SCJ and the target
plate, the head speed of the SCJ continues to decrease, and
the head speed of the SCJ is 4922 m/s and , in Figure 7(d), the
penetration of the guidance cabin is completed at about
174 μs. At this time, the SCJ can be seen to be fracture
obviously; so far, the SCJ has completed the penetration of
the whole simulation cabin, and the head velocity of the SCJ
is 4435 m/s. In Figure 7(e), the SCJ started to penetrate the
25 mm steel plate, and the penetration of the 25 mm steel
target is completed at about 192 μs; due to the unstable
movement of the fracture SCJ in the air, the particles of the
SCJ overturn, resulting in an irregular hole on the 25 mm
steel plate when the jet penetrates the 25 mm steel plate, and
the velocity of the SCJ is 4018m/s. It can be seen that the
total penetration time is 192 μs, which is T
Steel
�192 μs. e
velocity curve of the SCJ in the whole penetration process is
shown in Figure 8.
According to Figure 8, the velocity of the SCJ at ob-
servation point 1 is 7867 m/s, that at observation point 2 is
6505 m/s, that at observation point 3 is 4922 m/s, that at
observation point 4 is 4435 m/s, and that at observation
point 5 is 4018 m/s. From the beginning of the SCJ
4Shock and Vibration
Charge
Liner
Figure 1: Warhead structure.
Table 1: Parameters of each layer slices.
Layer Name ickness (mm) Distance to the
upper layer (mm)
Simulation cabin
Control cabin
1 Control cabin shell 2 0
2 Circuit board 1 2 27.3
3 Circuit board 2 2 9
4 Circuit board 3 2 9
5 Control cabin shell 3 22
Steering gear cabin
6 Power connector 1 100
7 Analog power 1 0.5 38
8 Analog power 2 0.5 31
9 Steering gear cabin shell 5 0.5
10 Circuit board 1 2 11.5
11 Circuit board 2 2 9
12 Circuit board 3 2 9
13 Steering gear cabin shell 1 16.5
14 Steering gear shaft 1 30 5
15 Steering gear shaft 2 12 7
16 Electrical machinery 24 17
17 Circuit board 4 5 25
18 Power connector bracket 3 10
Guidance cabin
19 Guidance cabin shell 4 49
20 Circuit board 6 9
21 Analog power 1 0.5 19.5
22 Analog power 2 0.5 34.5
23 Analog gyroscope sensor 5 14.5
24 Guidance cabin shell 3 27
25 Glass hood 10 28
Steel plate Steel plate 25 2
Control cabin Steering gear cabin3 4 5 9 11 14 20 Steel plateGuidance cabin
Warhead 12 6 78101213 15161718 192122232425
Simulation cabin
Figure 2: Equivalence principle model.
Shock and Vibration 5
penetrating the simulation cabin to the completion of the
penetration of the 25 mm Q235 steel target, the velocity of
the SCJ decreased from 7867 m/s to 4018 m/s, which de-
creased by 61.4%.
When the liner material is aluminum, the penetration
results of the SCJ are shown in Figure 9.
It can be seen from Figure 9(a), when the liner material is
aluminum, the SCJ starts to penetrate the control cabin in
the simulation cabin at about 20.8 μs. At this time, the shape
of the SCJ is complete, and there is no shrinkage or fracture,
and the head velocity of the SCJ reaches the maximum value;
that is, the head velocity is 9753 m/s. In Figure 9(b), the
penetration of the control cabin is completed at about 35 μs;
at this time, the shape of the SCJ is still complete, and there is
no shrinkage or fracture. Due to the interaction between the
SCJ particles and the target plate, the head speed of the SCJ
decreases, and the head speed of the SCJ is 8027 m/s. In
Figure 9(c), penetration of the steering gear cabin is com-
pleted at about 112 μs; with the extension of the length of the
SCJ, the difference in velocity between the head and tail of
the SCJ becomes larger and larger. At this time, the SCJ
begins to shrink and fracture; at the same time, due to the
interaction between the particles of the shaped jet and the
target plate, the head speed of the SCJ continues to decrease
and the head speed of the SCJ is 5217m/s. In Figure 9(d), the
penetration of the guidance cabin is completed at about
168 μs. At this time, the SCJ can be seen to be fracture
obviously; so far, the SCJ has completed the penetration of
the whole simulation cabin, and the head velocity of the SCJ
is 4616 m/s. In Figure 9(e), the SCJ started to penetrate the
25 mm steel plate, and the penetration of the 25 mm steel
target is completed at about 190 μs. Due to the unstable
movement of the fracture SCJ in the air, the particles of the
SCJ overturn, resulting in an irregular hole on the 25 mm
steel plate when the jet penetrates the 25 mm steel plate, and
the velocity of the SCJ is 3295 m/s. It can be seen that the
total penetration time is 190 μs, which is T
Aluminum
�190 μs.
e velocity curve of the SCJ in the whole penetration
process is shown in Figure 10.
According to Figure 10, the velocity of the SCJ at ob-
servation point 1 is 9753 m/s, that at observation point 2 is
8027 m/s, that at observation point 3 is 5217 m/s, that at
Air Warhead Control cabin Steering gear cabin Guidance cabin
Simulation cabin
Steel plate
Figure 3: Finite element model.
Simulation cabin
Air Warhead
12 435
Control cabin Steering gear cabin Guidance cabin Steel plate
Figure 4: Schematic diagram of the observation point.
Table 2: Material parameters for 8701 explosives.
Material ρ(g/cm3)D(cm/μs))PCJ(GPa)E(GPa)A(GPa)B(GPa)r1r2ωv0
Explosive 1.71 0.83 28.6 8.5 524.23 7.678 34 1.1 0.34 1
Table 3: Material parameters for liner.
Material ρ(g/cm
3
)G(GPa) A(MPa) B(MPa) nCm Tm(K) Troom (K) c0(cm/μs)S
Copper 8.93 46.5 90 292 0.31 0.025 1.09 1356 293 0.39 1.49
Steel 7.8 79 813 601 0.28 0.0139 1.04 1723 293 0.46 1.33
Aluminum 2.7 26 369 684 0.73 0.0083 1.7 1356 293 0.54 1.34
Table 4: Material parameters for simulation cabin.
Material ρ(g/cm3)E(GPa)NUXY Yield stress (MPa)
Steel 7.8 207 0.3 355
Aluminum 2.7 71 0.33 90
Printed circuit board material 1.19 7.8 — —
6Shock and Vibration
Time = 25.6
(a)
Time = 35.9
(b)
Time = 113.6
(c)
Time = 164.8
(d)
Time = 182.4
(e)
Figure 5: Penetration results of jet formed when liner material is copper: (a) the SCJ at observation point 1; (b) the SCJ at observation point
2; (c) the SCJ at observation point 3; (d) the SCJ at observation point 4; (e) the SCJ at observation point 5.
Velocity-time curve of copper liner
Observation point 1
Observation point 2
Observation point 3
Observation point 4
Observation point 5
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
9000
Velocity (m/s)
20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 1800
Time (μs)
Figure 6: SCJ velocity curve of the copper liner.
Shock and Vibration 7
Time = 24.8
(a)
Time = 40
(b)
Time = 118.4
(c)
Time = 174.4
(d)
Time = 192
(e)
Figure 7: Penetration results of jet formed when liner material is steel: (a) the SCJ at observation point 1; (b) the SCJ at observation point 2;
(c) the SCJ at observation point 3; (d) the SCJ at observation point 4; (e) the SCJ at observation point 5.
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
9000
Time (μs)
Velocity (m/s)
Velocity-time curve of steel liner
Observation point 1
Observation point 2
Observation point 3
Observation point 4
Observation point 5
Figure 8: SCJ velocity curve of the steel liner.
8Shock and Vibration
observation point 4 is 4616 m/s, and that at observation
point 5 is 3295 m/s. From the beginning of the SCJ pene-
trating the simulation cabin to the completion of the pen-
etration of the 25 mm Q235 steel target, the velocity of the
SCJ decreased from 9753 m/s to 3295 m/s, which decreased
by 66.2%.
Figure 11 shows the time and location of the fracture of
the jets of the three different materials in the process of
penetration.
It can be seen from Figure 11 that when the liner material
is copper, the SCJ begins to fracture after penetrating the
17th target plate (located in the steering gear cabin). As
shown in Figure 11(a), the jet fracture time is 112.8 μs, that
is, t
Cooper
�112.8 μs. When the liner material is steel, the SCJ
begins to fracture after penetrating the 15th layer target plate
(located in the steering gear cabin). As shown in
Figure 11(b), the jet fracture time is 104.8 μs, that is,
t
Steel
�104.8 μs. When the liner material is aluminum, the
Time = 20.8
(a)
Time = 35.2
(b)
Time = 112
(c)
Time = 168.8
(d)
Time = 190.4
(e)
Figure 9: Penetration results of jet formed when liner material is aluminum: (a) the SCJ at observation point 1; (b) the SCJ at observation
point 2; (c) the SCJ at observation point 3; (d) the SCJ at observation point 4; (e) the SCJ at observation point 5.
Shock and Vibration 9
SCJ begins to fracture after penetrating the 14th target plate
(located in the steering gear cabin). As shown in
Figure 11(c), the jet fracture time is 90 μs, that is,
t
Aluminum
�90 μs. After the SCJ is extended to a certain extent
in the air, it will shrink and fracture, the jet will fracture into
small segments and it will turn over when moving in the air,
which will weaken the penetration ability; that is to say, the
earlier the SCJ fracture occurs, the more the penetration
ability of the SCJ will be weakened. According to the nu-
merical simulation results shown in Figure 11, when the
liner material is copper, the continuous jet duration is the
longest; when the liner material is aluminum, the continuous
jet time is the shortest, and the density of aluminum is small,
which will be vaporized in the process of jet formation,
which will affect the penetration performance of the jet.
eoretically, the longer the duration of the continuous jet,
the better the penetration performance. e relevant ex-
perimental results show that for the same structure of liner,
the penetration depth of copper is the deepest [1]. e
numerical simulation results of three kinds of liner show that
the duration of the continuous jet is the longest when the
liner material is copper, and the armor-breaking effect is the
best among the three materials.
e velocity comparison diagram of the SCJ formed by
the three different materials of the liner at the five obser-
vation points is shown in Figure 12.
It can be seen from Figure 12 that the initial velocity of
the jet formed by the three different materials of the liner is
(vAluminum �9753 m/s) >(vCooper �8248 m/s) >(vSteel �7867 m/s).
e velocity after penetration is (VSteel �4018 m/s)
>(VAluminum �3295 m/s) >(VCoo per �3184 m/s).
e results show that when the material of the liner is
copper, the maximum initial velocity of the jet is 8248 m/s, the
duration of the continuous jet is about 112.8 μs, the remaining
velocity after the penetration is 3184m/s, and the completion
time of the penetration is 182.4 μs. When the material of the
liner is steel, the maximum initial velocity of the jet is 7867 m/s,
the duration of the continuous jet is about 104.5 μs, the
remaining velocity after the penetration is 4018 m/s, and the
completion time of the penetration is 192 μs. When the ma-
terial of the liner is aluminum, the maximum initial velocity of
the jet is 9753 m/s, the duration of the continuous jet is about
90 μs, the remaining velocity after the penetration is 3295 m/s,
and the completion time of the penetration is 190.4 μs. Con-
sidering the completion time of jet penetration, the duration of
the continuous jet, and the time when the jet begins to break, it
is reasonable to choose copper as the material of the liner of the
armor-piercing warhead of a guided munition.
4. Experimental Research
4.1. Experimental Setup. Based on the numerical simulation
results of the SCJ penetrating the target plate when the liner
materials are copper, steel, and aluminum, copper is selected
as the principle prototype of the liner material and the
experiment is carried out. e schematic diagram of the
experiment device is shown in Figure 13.
It can be seen from Figure 13 that the experimental
device from top to bottom is warhead, simulation cabin,
25 mm Q235 steel plate, and 10 mm Q235 steel plate for the
after-effect. According to the numerical simulation results,
when the liner material is copper, the residual velocity of the
SCJ is 3184m/s after completing the simulation cabin and
25 mm Q235 steel plate. To verify the penetration ability of
the jet residual velocity, the Q235 steel plate with a thickness
of 10 mm was set as the after-effect target plate. To ensure
that the SCJ can penetrate the target vertically, the levelness
of the experimental platform is corrected before the ex-
periment, and the levelness of the experimental platform is
adjusted by the level instrument, as shown in Figure 14.
4.2. Experimental Result and Analysis. After adjusting the
levelness, the shaped charge warhead is installed on the
upper part of the simulated cabin, and the warhead is
detonated. A portion of the debris collected from the
simulated cabin after the experiment is shown in Figure 15.
e results of the SCJ after completing the simulation
cabin and 25 mm Q235 steel target are shown in Figure 16.
It can be seen from Figure 16 that the shape of the hole
left by the shaped jet after penetrating the 25 mm Q235 steel
target is not circular or approximately circular; this is be-
cause the shaped jet has broken before penetrating the
25 mm Q235 steel target and part of the jet has overturned,
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
9000
10000
Time (μs)
Velocity (m/s)
Velocity-time curve of aluminum liner
Observation point 1
Observation point 2
Observation point 3
Observation point 4
Observation point 5
Figure 10: SCJ velocity curve of the aluminum liner.
10 Shock and Vibration
resulting in the irregular shape of the aperture after pene-
trating the 25 mm Q235 steel target.
Figure 17 shows the result of the residual jet penetration
of the after-effect target after the SCJ has penetrated the
25 mm Q235 steel target.
It can be seen from Figure 17 that the residual jet can
penetrate the 10 mm thick Q235 after-effect steel target,
and the residual jet leaves many irregular small holes on
the 10 mm Q235 after-effect steel target.
e experimental results show that when the liner material
is copper, the shaped charge warhead can not only complete
the penetration of 25 mm Q235 steel target but also has a good
after-effect; that is, the residual jet can complete the penetration
of 10 mm Q235 steel target.
Time = 112.8
(a)
Time = 104.8
(b)
Time = 89.6
(c)
Figure 11: e time and position of jet fracture: (a) the liner is copper; (b) the liner is steel; (c) the liner is aluminum.
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
9000
10000
Velocity of SCJ (m/s)
Velocity contrast curve of dierent material liner
23451
Observation point
Copper liner
Steel liner
Aluminum liner
Figure 12: Velocity comparison of three kinds of material liner.
Shock and Vibration 11
(a) (b)
(c) (d)
Figure 14: Level adjustment of the experimental platform: (a) level adjustment of the after-effect target plate of 10 mm thick Q235 steel
plate; (b) level adjustment of the experimental bench; (c) levelness of the 25 mm thick Q235 steel target plate adjustment; (d) the levelness
adjustment of the simulated cabin.
Warhead
Simulation cabin
25mm steel
target
After effect
steel target
Figure 13: Schematic diagram of the experimental set.
12 Shock and Vibration
(a)
(b)
Figure 15: Wreckage of simulated guidance cabin.
Figure 16: Experimental result of penetrating 25 mm target.
Shock and Vibration 13
5. Conclusion
In this article, the penetration ability of the shaped charge
warhead of the guided ammunition is studied by combining
numerical simulation and experiment. In this study, the
shaped charge warhead with a variable cone angle and wall
thickness is designed, and the liner of different materials is
simulated by LS-DYNA software. After analyzing the results
of the numerical simulation, copper was selected as the
material of the liner, and the principle prototype was made,
and the penetration ability of the shaped charge piercing
warhead was tested, and the following conclusions were
drawn:
(1) e numerical simulation results show that the ve-
locity of the SCJ formed by the three kinds of ma-
terials is (vAluminum �9753 m/s) >(vCooper �8248 m/s)
>(vSteel �7867 m/s); the residual velocity after pen-
etration is (VSteel �4018 m/s) >(VAluminum �3295 m/s)
>(VCooper �3184 m/s); the time when the jet began to
fracture was (t
Cooper
�112.8 μs) >(t
Steel
�104.8 μs)
>(t
Aluminum
�90 μs); the penetration completion
time is (T
Cooper
�182 μs)<(T
Aluminum
�190 μs)
<(T
Steel
�192 μs).
(2) e experimental results show that the shaped
charge warhead with the copper liner can still form a
good penetration ability against 25 mm Q235 steel
target after penetrating the simulated cabin and has
good after-effect damage ability; that is, the pene-
tration ability of residual jet can penetrate 10 mm
Q235 steel target.
Data Availability
e data that support the findings of this study are available
from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Conflicts of Interest
e authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
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Shock and Vibration 15
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