Numerical Simulation on Jet Formation of Shaped Charge with Different Liner Materials

Abstract

In this paper, the effect of liner material of the shaped charge on jet formation and its penetration capability is investigated by experimental and numerical methods. Liner materials investigated in this paper are copper, steel, and aluminium, respectively. Pulse X-ray photographic technology to shoot the formation of jet is employed to obtain the tip velocity and the diameter of jet. A two-dimensional multi-material code is designed to simulate the entire process from jet formation to penetrating a target. A markers on cell lines method is utilised to treat the multi-material interface. The results show that aluminium jet has the highest velocity with the poorest penetration capability. Copper jet has the strongest penetration capability with a velocity higher than that of steel jet, but lower than that of aluminium jet. The simulated results agree with the experimental results very well. It also indicates that the code developed can not only address large distortion problems but also track the variation of multi-material interfaces. It is favourable to simulate the explosive loading on thin-wall structure such as shaped charge. It is proved that authors’ method is feasible and reliable for optimising the structure of shaped charge jet to dramatically improve its tip velocity and penetration capability, and provides an important theoretic basis for designing high explosive anti-tank warhead.

Defence Science Journal, Vol. 65, No. 4, July 2015, pp. 279-286, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/dsj.65.8648