| There has been a recent flurry of research in rapid penetration into granular media, motivated by military and civilian applications including underground target penetration, design of fortifications, drilling for resource extraction, offshore foundations and anchors, probing of in situ mechanical properties, and study of high strain rate response of granular media, among others. The present study contributes to the state of the art in rapid penetration into granular media, by producing data at the macro and meso scales. In-house projectile accelerators are used to launch projectiles into laboratory scale physical models. The experimental program is divided into two sections. In the first section, penetration tests are performed at impact velocities in the range of 60-300 m/s. High-speed imaging and photonic Doppler velocimetry are used to record time history of penetration. In the second section, low velocity penetration tests are performed in refractive index matched transparent soils. Images are acquired form a mid plane within the sample. Digital image correlation is employed to describe granular kinematics. Macro scale test results point to the existence of at least two transition regimes in penetration resistance. The first, occurring at penetration velocities of approximately 60- 80 m/s, may be due the role of particle crushing, while the second is linked to frictional resistance dominating over inertial resistance at penetration velocities below approximately 15 m/s. It is also found that the role of nose shape is related to particle crushing. An attached false cone forms ahead of the projectile due to significant particle crushing, rendering nose shape effects less significant. Packing density and saturation are also found to affect penetration characteristics. Penetration tests in transparent soils reveal significant differences between quasi-static and dynamic penetration. Greater vertical displacements occur ahead of the projectile in dynamic penetration. For example, at 6D penetration, net vertical displacements are 90% larger in dynamic penetration compared to quasi-static penetration of blunt nose projectile. The blunt projectile produces larger shear and volumetric strains -- 0.54 compared to 0.19 for penetration increments at 1 D-6D penetration -- with a greater zone of influence. Finally, evidence of shear-induced dilation near the terminal penetration velocity is presented, pointing to the dominance of frictional bearing resistance towards the terminal penetration depth. |
