Numerical Simulation of High-Speed Penetration of Munitions in Clay

This study presents the findings of a 3D explicit finite element analysis exploring the effect of nose shape on the depth of burial (DoB) of projectiles in cohesive soil. Large deformation finite element (LDFE) analyses were performed using the commercial finite element code ABAQUS. Euler and Lagrange element interactions were captured using the coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian (CEL) algorithm. Ogive projectiles with various caliber radius heads (CRH), ranging from 9 to 11, dynamically impacted a clay target at an impact velocity of 200 m/s. A constitutive model comprising a Tresca soil model that accounted for strain softening and strain-rate dependency of shear strength through the Herschel-Bulkley model was employed. The results of the simulations were used to calibrate a phenomenological penetration model for predicting the depth of burial of projectiles in soils. The two fitting parameters of the phenomenological model were the drag coefficient C, and the bearing coefficient R, both of which were assumed to be constants. It was found that varying the ogive CRH within the ranges studied resulted in minimal change in the drag coefficient. Furthermore, the DoB was not significantly affected by these variations in the CRH. The bearing coefficient R was found to be constant for all ogives. It was concluded that the DoB was not sensitive to minor changes in the nose shape of ogive ordnances in clayey soils.