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Article
The Effects of the Flyer Plate's Radius of Curvature on the Performance of an Explosively Formed Projectile
AIP Conference Proceedings
  • Phillip R. Mulligan, Missouri University of Science and Technology
  • Jason Baird, Missouri University of Science and Technology
  • Joshua Hoffman
Abstract

An explosively formed projectile (EFP) is known for its ability to penetrate vehicle armor effectively. Understanding how an EFP’s physical parameters affect its performance is crucial to development of armor capable of defeating such devices. The present study uses two flyer plate radii of curvature to identify the experimental effects of the flyer plate’s radius of curvature on the measured projectile velocity, depth of penetration, and projectile shape. The Gurney equation is an algebraic relationship for estimating the velocity imparted to a metal plate in contact with detonating explosives. The authors of this research used a form of the Gurney equation to calculate the theoretical flyer plate velocity. Two EFP designs that have different flyer plate radii of curvature, but the same physical parameters and the same flyer-weight to charge-weight ratio should theoretically have the same velocity. Tests indicated that the flyer plate’s radius of curvature does not affect the projectile’s velocity and that a flat flyer plate negatively affects projectile penetration and formation.

Meeting Name
17th Biennial Conference of the American Physical Society Topical Group on Shock Compression of Condensed Matter, 2011 APS SCCM (2011: Jun. 26-Jul. 1, Chicago, IL)
Department(s)
Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering
Second Department
Mining Engineering
Keywords and Phrases
  • Explosively Formed Projectile,
  • EFP,
  • Performance,
  • Radius
International Standard Book Number (ISBN)
978-0-7354-1006-0
Document Type
Article - Conference proceedings
Document Version
Final Version
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2012 The Authors, All rights reserved.
Publication Date
7-1-2012
Publication Date
01 Jul 2012
Citation Information
Phillip R. Mulligan, Jason Baird and Joshua Hoffman. "The Effects of the Flyer Plate's Radius of Curvature on the Performance of an Explosively Formed Projectile" AIP Conference Proceedings Vol. 1426 (2012) p. 1023 - 1026 ISSN: 0094-243X
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/phillip-mulligan/5/