Estimation of Influence of Target Material Type on Penetration Capability of 12.7 mm Armor-Piercing Projectile

In the study an estimation of the influence of target material type on the penetration capability of the 12.7 mm API-T (armor-piercing incendiary with tracer) projectile is performed. The literature review contains 14 references regarding 12.7 mm ammunition studies. A relatively large number of metallic targets are taken into consideration in a computer simulation that assesses the influence of the target type on the penetration capabilities of the given projectile. By comparing the acquired findings with the data of other authors, the numerical model was first successfully validated. Simulation results indicate that bainitic steels are by far the most resilient steels. Because of their hardness, these steels displayed significant erosion of the penetrator tip and significant projectile fragmentation upon impact. Iron targets, as expected, performed worse than steel targets, with more penetration seen. Mild steel had a significantly deeper penetration compared to armor steel. The performance of other steels employed in the study was comparable. Numerical simulations have shown to be a very effective technique in ammunition and armor design, resulting in substantial time and cost savings (fewer experimental experiments). Furthermore, by utilizing simulations, researchers can estimate certain physical processes that would be challenging to detect in actual testing.