Self-similar flow of a conical projectile on a flat target surface under conditions of dwell

In order to investigate the state of stress in a target material under conditions of interface defeat or dwell it is necessary to determine the load intensity at the interface of the flowing projectile material and the target. Previous studies for a cylindrical projectile geometry at normal impact under stationary conditions show that the load can be considered to be composed of three components, viz., those of inertia, compressibility and yield strength of the projectile material. In order to determine the influence of projectile shape, a conical projectile in axi-symmetric impact on a ridged, friction-free surface is studied by use of an analytical model for self-similar flow and numerical Autodyn simulations. It is shown how the maximum load intensity, and the position of the maximum, depends on the apex angle. Both the self-similar model and the Autodyn simulations show that the contribution to the load intensity from compressibility is positive below and negative above apex angles 80°. The influence of yield strength on the load intensity depends only weakly on the apex angle and therefore corresponds to that for a cylindrical projectile.