Shaped Charge Penetration Experiments

Abstract Several series of shaped charge experimental trials have been conducted looking at jet formation, jet penetration and jet-stopper efficiency. Previous results have shown that layers of high strength steel and glass are highly beneficial in a jet-stopper. Hydrocode modelling results also suggested that dense metals could be used to create a more efficient jet-stopper. Eighteen SM-EOD 67 shaped charges have been fired into a variety of jet-stopper configurations incorporating various layers of high strength steel, glass, tungsten alloy and tantalum. The results suggest that the penetration depth into a tungsten alloy and glass stack would be approximately 9% less than into a high strength steel and glass stack with the same layer thicknesses. This corroborates the results of the modelling and confirms the beneficial use of dense metals in a jet-stopper. These trials have also re-confirmed the benefit of using layers of float glass within a jet-stopper to create a relatively light-weight yet efficient jet-stopper. Further work will investigate the benefits of using ultra-high strength steel in a jet-stopper and development of an improved glass model for use in jet-stopper penetration calculations.