Pressure and temperature effects resulting from impact onto materials of different reactivity

Abstract

The pressure and temperature increase resulting from the impact of different threats onto target materials is analyzed with a unified laboratory-scale setup. This allows deriving qualitative information on the occurring phenomenology as well as quantitative statements about the relative effects sizes as a function of target material and threat. The considered target materials are steel, aluminum, and magnesium. As threats, kinetic energy penetrator, explosively formed projectile, and shaped charge jet are used. For the investigated combinations, the measured overpressures vary by a factor of up to 5 for a variation of the material, by a factor of up to 7 for a variation of the threat, and by a factor larger than 15 for a simultaneous variation of both. The obtained results as well as the experimental approach are relevant for the basic understanding of impact effects and risks due to material reactivity. The paper combines two main aims. Firstly, to provide a summary of own prior work in a coherent journal article and, secondly, to review and discuss these earlier results with a new perspective.