Penetration Characteristics of Deformable Penetrators on Steel Plates

This study investigates the dynamic interactions between deformable penetrators and ductile metallic plates. Specifically, the analysis primarily focuses on the energy required by the penetrator under various target plate conditions. The study analyzes the energy dissipation components of this system, including the ratio of the energy dissipated by the penetrator to the energy dissipated by the plate. Furthermore, the energy dissipation within the plate is examined, including the proportions of kinetic energy and internal energy of the plate. A detailed analysis of the components constituting the internal energy of the plate is also conducted. Through this analytical study, it is observed that regardless of the plate thickness, most of the required kinetic energy of the penetrator is absorbed as the internal energy of the plate. It is observed that most of the internal energy may be attributed to the plastic deformation of the plate. Additionally, as the inclination angle of the target plate decreases below 75∘, the penetration depth increases, leading to a higher dissipation of the penetrator energy, and, consequently, an increase in the required kinetic energy. These findings enable the design of target plates based on the penetrator performance characteristics.