ISSN 1330-3651 (Print), ISSN 1848-6339 (Online) https://doi.org/10.17559/TV-20190216141334 Original scientific paper Improvement of Shaped Charge Penetration Capability and Disturbation of the Jet by Explosive Reactive Armor Hicham KEMMOUKHE, Zijah BURZIĆ, Saša SAVIĆ, Slavica TERZIĆ, Danica SIMIĆ, Miodrag LISOV Abstract: This paper presents a numerical study of the effect of main parameters (liner material, explosive charge, stand-off distance and the presence of the wave-shaper), on one hand, on the jet formation, jet velocity and the jet length, and on the other hand, on the penetration depth. We propose a numerical approach to evaluate their effects on the performance of the shaped charge. AUTODYN-2D software is used for numerical simulations of the shaped charge. The multi material Euler solver of the AUTODYN is used for the jet formation investigation, whereas, Lagrange solver is used for the resolution of the penetration problem. Results have shown that the presence of wave- shaper increases the shaped charge depth penetration. For the standoff of 6 charge calibres, the jet penetration is found to be deepest. It is found that the jet velocity is proportional to the jet energy, and the penetration is proportional to the liner density. The oblique explosive reactive armor is more efficient for the protection of the main target. Numerical results have a good agreement with the data from available literature – with experimental results for the chosen explosives. Keywords: ERA; HEAT; high explosive; metal liner; wave-shaper 1 INTRODUCTION wave shaper which overlaps the liner. This latter increases the tip velocity of the coherent portion of the liner to A shaped charge is generally a high explosive cylinder approximately 10 km/s. Nasser Dashtian Gerami et al. [11] with a cavity in one end, lined with a thin metal layer and studied the influence of the liner material on shaped charge a detonator at the opposite end. Shaped charges are used to penetration into thick concrete targets. Their results make a perforation, or a slender hole in a material that is suggest that both copper and aluminium are capable to otherwise difficult to penetrate [1]. Upon initiation, destroy thick concrete targets, but aluminium conical liner detonation of the explosive charge creates intense, focused, has more significant effect in creating penetration depth. localized forces and a shock wave. The detonation wave Chang, B.H. et al. [12] enhanced the penetration depth for propagates through the explosive charge and further low density jet by 5.38 % adding a certain fraction of impinges on the liner to the axis of symmetry [2]. The inner copper powder in the matrix. layer of material forms a high velocity jet, while the The problem with researches in the field of shaped remaining material forms a low velocity slug [3]. The liner charges is in the costs and time spent to carry out the is usually conical, although it can have other axis- experiments. Explosive charges and experimental symmetric geometries such as a hemisphere, tulip or perforation tests are expensive and take a lot of time to trumpet, to name a few. Many liner materials have also prepare and organize. In the process of a shaped charge been considered; examples include zirconium, steel and warhead design, it is substantial to save money and efforts, depleted uranium [1]. The shaped charge jets have and in the same time to have at disposal reliable data for excellent penetration capability into various targets. Thus, effectiveness of different shaped charges configurations, it has been successfully used in both military and civilian for a variety of explosives, liner geometries and materials. applications [4, 5]. The penetration performance is very For this reason it is useful to create a software solution – a sensitive to the standoff degree where it decays rapidly if model for simulation that gives results close enough to the latter is too large or too small. Slobodan Jaramaz et al experimental ones, using already known input parameters, [6] have validated their numerical model by investigating or for example, experimental results of some easy-to- the influence of the stand-off distance and the apex cone measure properties of explosives. angle on the penetration depth. Their results show that the Various numerical codes have been developed in order jet can penetrate deeply for large standoff distance. to simulate the penetration process, with the aim to Furthermore, they have found that the penetration is accurately represent the physical aspects of penetration inversely proportional to apex cone angle. Liner material whilst minimizing computational time. These codes have has also an effect on penetration [7]. The jet formation been developed and examined during past few decades, caused by the collapse of a shaped charge liner depends on and some of them are PIESES code, HOCC code, PENJET, the pressure delivered to the liner wall by the detonating etc [2]. AUTODYN is one of these numerical models, a explosive [8]. By optimizing explosive charge types, finite difference code which is used to model the stages of geometric configurations, initiation mode, and liner liner collapse, jet formation and jet penetration [5]. It is a materials for shaped charge warhead, the jet penetration commercially available software mostly used for analyzing capability can be enhanced [3]. The penetrating effect of a high‐velocity impacts, explosions, and shock waves, but shaped charge jet can be effectively weakened by fitting also to analyze explosion welding [13]. There are also reactive armour elements on the outside of the armour models using both a Lagrangian framework (e.g. ''DYNA'') itself. The reactive armour is composed of multi-layer and Eulerian formulation (e.g. ''GRIM''), known as elements - sandwich structure plates made of metal or a hydrocodes [1]. composite material and an intermediate explosive layer [9]. William P. et al. [10] investigated how to increase the tip velocity of a shaped charge by employing an air cavity 1658 Technical Gazette 26, 6(2019), 1658-1663 Hicham KEMMOUKHE et al.: Improvement of Shaped Charge Penetration Capability and Disturbation of the Jet by Explosive Reactive Armor Series of numerical simulations performed with of the liner is 60 with 1 mm of thickness. To measure the Autodyn-2D software will show the effect of different variation of the jet velocity in the axial direction, fixed parameters into shaped charge jet formation, jet velocity gauge points are placed in the position shown in Fig. 1, this and penetration capability and protection method for the is also used to get the jet tip velocity with respect to time. main target using explosive reactive armour. The aim of these simulations is to save the time and resources needed for real field tests, and to provide a solid basis of data that could be used in practice, in future warhead design projects. The time and resources that will be saved, and the efficiency of the future warheads design process are the Figure 2 Penetration geometry problem. reason why the results obtained from this work are important. The experimental data used for the simulations To simulate the penetration problem, the LAGRANGE in this paper were obtained in original experiments for solver of AUTODYN is used, in order to ensure the different widely used explosives. Some of the observed stability for the numerical computations [14]. The obtained results from Euler solver for jet formation are used for explosives are used for a long time, based on TNT, while penetration problem using 'part fill' option. The initial some are prominent, PBX explosives with polymer binder, geometry for the penetration problem is shown in Fig. 2. belonging to the group of less sensitive explosives. To ensure that the stability time-step remains at a reasonable level and solutions can continue to the desired 2 NUMERICAL SIMULATION termination time, the erosion option of AUTODYN is 2.1 Mesh Sensitivity used. In AUTODYN, erosion is a numerical mechanism for the automatic removal (deletion) of elements during the In order to study the mesh sensitivity, five different simulation. The primary reason for using erosion is to meshes are utilized. The size of cells is selected to be 0.8, remove too distorted elements from a simulation before 0.6, 0.4, 0.2 and 0.1 mm. Uniform and square cells are becoming inverted (degenerate) [17]. Erosion strains of imposed in the jet formation region. The jet tip velocity for 200% and 600% were used for target and jet materials, five different meshes are given in table 1 at t = 26 µs. respectively, according to [18]. The penetration is achieved when the jet is completely consumed or eroded on the Table 1 Mesh sensitivity results crater walls, or when the jet velocity decays below a certain Mesh size, mm 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.1 value, at which no change in the penetration is remarked Jet tip velocity, m/s 5471 5704 6196 6308 6373 with time. Comparing with the results obtained in [14], the jet tip 2.3 Material Models and Proprieties velocity is found to be in a good agreement using the 2.3.1 Explosive square shape element of size 0.2 mm. Thus, 0.2×0.2 mm cell is used to simulate the jet formation of shaped charge Four military explosive compositions given in Tab. 2 taking into account a reasonable accuracy and time have been studied numerically regarding the effect of consumption. As the obtained results found in [15] are explosive charge on the jet formation and penetration reliable, we utilized in our study the same mesh size of capability. The composition of explosive materials used in 0.5×0.5 mm on the target used for the penetration problem.