Experimental and Numerical Study on the Penetration Performance of a Shaped Charge

In guided ammunition, because a shaped energy jet warhead is located behind the control cabin (including the guidance cabin, the steering gear cabin, and the flight control cabin), the penetration order of a shaped energy jet is the control cabin and the target plate. In order to obtain maximum penetration depth by a shaped energy jet into a Q235 steel plate, the penetration performance of shaped energy jets was studied by numerical simulation and experimental verification. Firstly, the penetration performance of a warhead under different conditions at a certain explosion height is studied, which is the penetration performance of a Q235 steel plate with and without the control cabin. Secondly, the numerical simulation results are verified by experimental method. The numerical simulation and experimental results showed that, after penetration of the shaped energy jet warhead into the control cabin, it continued to penetrate the 20 mm-thick Q235 steel plate. At a certain explosion height, the maximum penetration depth of the shaped energy jet warhead into the Q235 steel plate was about 80 mm. Alongside the numerical simulation and experiment, the armor-breaking process of the shaped charge jet was analyzed theoretically. The results show that when the shaped energy jet warhead is located behind the control cabin, although the control cabin will have a certain impact on the penetration ability of shaped energy jet, the penetration performance of the residual jet still has the ability to penetrate light armor.