Dynamic fracture and fragmentation characteristics of explosively driven rings and cylinders are important issues in the field of weapon effectiveness and protection. However, the comparison of fracture characteristics between metal cylinder and rings, and the fracture characteristics of the metal shells at different axial positions, are rarely touched. In the present work, a recovery tank was used to collect fragments, and witness plates were used to investigate the fragment spatial distributions. Before the test, the representative positions of metal shells were plated with copper layers to locate the original position of the recovered fragments. After the test, scanning electron microscopy and optical microscope were used for characterizing the microstructure of the recovered fragments from different positions. Then, the recovered fragments were weighed and measured to investigate their mass and size characteristics. In addition, numerical simulation was used to further investigate the fracture mechanisms of explosively driven cylinders and rings. It was found that the projection angle axial distribution of the fragments for the metal cylinder was similar to that of the fragments for the metal rings. However, the fracture characteristics of the metal rings were significantly different from those of the metal cylinder. The adiabatic shear band played a key role in the fracture process of the metal cylinder, whereas the adiabatic shear band had little chance to initiate in the fracture process of the metal rings because the metal rings could deform uniformly with much fewer strain localizations due to their much lower length. The fracture surfaces of the fragments from different positions of the metal cylinder were very smooth, whereas dimples were found in the fracture surfaces of the fragments from different positions of the metal rings. The mass distribution of the fragments from the metal rings was more uniform than that of the fragments from the metal cylinder, and the circumferential rupture strains of the metal rings were much larger than those of the metal cylinder.
Fragment velocity characteristics of warheads are key issues in the field of explosion technology and protection. However, the fragment velocity characteristics of a warhead with a hollow core under asymmetrical initiation are rarely touched. In this work, the effects of the diameter of the hollow core on the fragment velocities of warheads under asymmetrical initiation were investigated by experimentally verified numerical simulations. The results showed that the fragment velocity‐time curves exhibited a second time acceleration due to the collision of the shock/detonation wave and/or that of the detonation products. For warheads under symmetrical initiation, the second time acceleration becomes stronger, and then becomes slightly weaker with the increase of the diameter of the hollow core, due to the combined effects of bigger hollow core and less explosive charge mass. For warheads under asymmetrical initiation, the second time acceleration becomes more obvious with the increase of the diameter of the hollow core, because the larger shaped charge efficiency enhances the collision of the detonation products. A modified formula was proposed to predict the initial fragment velocity in the aiming direction of a warhead with a hollow core under asymmetrical initiation. Experimentally verified numerical simulations were then used to verify the formula and the results showed that the new formula could predict the velocity very well. This work could offer a good reference for the design of tunable effects warheads and aimable warheads.
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