Ballistic Impact on High-Strength Steel by Tungsten Alloy Projectiles: Mechanism and Calculation

Abstract: Dynamic shear and ballistic impact experiments were conducted to investigate mechanism by which tungsten alloy projectiles impact high-strength steel. Dynamic shear experiments reveal that high-strength steel has a similar shear fracture stress to tungsten alloy, but a lower shear fracture strain. This makes high-strength steel more prone to damage during high-speed impact. To investigate the effects of impact angle on damage morphology and ballistic limit velocity, ballistic impact experiments were conducted at various impact angles (0°, 20°, 40°, and 60°) and velocities (350 to 900 m/s). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical microscopy (OM) were utilized to analyze recovered specimens. At various angles and velocities, intrusion mechanism of projectiles and targets was examined. During ballistic impact process, projectile and target exhibit obvious plastic deformation and shear cracks, and degree of deformation increases with the increase of impact angle and velocity. Based on energy conservation law, ballistic limit velocity of tungsten alloy projectile impact high-strength steel is calculated and verified. Calculation results are in good agreement with experimental findings.