Penetration of ballistic gelatin by explosion-driven inert metal particles

In urban combat, sub-millimeter inert metal powder is used to replace fragments in explosive bombs, which can effectively reduce collateral damage. In order to investigate the damage effect of high-speed metal particles on the human body, a particle ring filled with a charge was designed to create an explosion-driven particle cloud for the penetration ballistic gelatin. The particle ring was made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and sub-millimeter tungsten powder. The dispersion properties of the particle cloud driven by the explosion were studied with high-speed photography and ballistic gelatin. Furthermore, the numerical simulation models of particle-penetrating gelatin based on the experimental results were established with the finite element method. The influences of the particle size and velocity on the penetration depth and cavity diameter was obtained. The relationship between the critical interference distance of the cavity and the distance between particles was determined. This paper provides references and theoretical support for the design of low collateral damage ammunition based on inert metal powder.