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Research on the optimum length–diameter ratio of the charge of a multimode warhead

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Abstract

This paper outlines our research on a multimode warhead in which we adopted center point and annular initiation modes to form multimode penetrators. Using LS-DYNA software, we studied the effect of the configuration parameters, namely the length/diameter ratio of the shaped charge, on the formation parameters, such as the velocity and length/diameter ratio, of multimode penetrators. We found that when the charge length was in the range of 0.9–1.2 times the charge diameter, the same structure of shaped charge can form suitable multimode penetrators. Either an explosively formed penetrator (EFP) or a long stretchy rod-shaped EFP penetrator can be formed. We establish an optimum charge length for penetrator formation of 1.4 times the charge diameter. Simulation results were validated using X-ray imaging experiments and they were in good agreement. The results found that by increasing the charge length from 0.9 to 1.4 times the charge diameter, the penetration depth of the EFP increased by 74.5%, while increasing the charge length from 1.4 to 1.6 times the charge diameter only increased the penetration depth by 1.9%.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ZNDY of Ministerial Key Laboratory, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094, People’s Republic of China

    Weibing Li, X. Wang, Wenbin Li & Y. Zheng

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  1. Weibing Li
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  2. X. Wang
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  3. Wenbin Li
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  4. Y. Zheng
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Correspondence to Weibing Li.

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Communicated by C. Needham.

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Li, W., Wang, X., Li, W. et al. Research on the optimum length–diameter ratio of the charge of a multimode warhead. Shock Waves 22, 265–274 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00193-012-0365-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00193-012-0365-z

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