Modeling and Experimental Research on Hypervelocity Damage Characteristics of PELE Projectile With Reactive Filling Against Spacer Metal Plates

ABSTRACT Employing reactive materials as filling is a promising way to enhance the damage efficacy of the penetrator with enhanced lateral effects (PELE). To investigate the penetration ability and lateral damage effect of PELE with reactive filling (PELE rf ) against the target spacer metal plates, in this article, a refined theoretical model and an optimized simulation method were developed to predict the movement state of fragments. Furthermore, the study explores the influence of impact velocity and projectile structure on the damage characteristics of PELE rf through numerical simulations, which were subsequently validated by experimental results. The findings indicate that the impact‐induced reaction of reactive filling significantly influences the jacket's expansion and fragmentation, thereby markedly enhancing the lateral damage effect of PELE. There is good agreement between the analytical and experimental results on the maximum radial velocity of fragments and the diameter of the damage region. Moreover, the reaction ratio and reaction rate of reactive filling are critical factors affecting the fragments' movement state. Consequently, the damage characteristics of the projectile can be effectively modulated by controlling the impact velocity and the reactive material's content in filling.