Characterization of Concrete Material Flow During Projectile Penetration

The Department of Defense (DoD) has an operational requirement to predict, quickly and accurately, the depth of penetration that a projectile can achieve for a given target and impact scenario. Fast-running analytical models can provide reliable predictions, but they often require the use of one or more dimensionless parameters that are derived from experimental data. These analytical models are continually evolving, and the dimensionless parameters are often adjusted to obtain new analytical models without a true understanding of the change in characteristics of material flow across targets of varying strength and projectile impact velocities.;In this dissertation, the penetration of ogive-nose projectiles into concrete targets is investigated using finite element analyses. The Elastic-Plastic Impact Computation (EPIC) code is used to examine the velocity vector fields and their associated direction cosines for high and low-strength concrete target materials during projectile penetration. Two methodologies, referred as Normal Expansion Comparison Methodology (NECM) and Spherical Expansion Comparison Methodology (SECM), are developed in MATLAB to quantify the change in concrete material flow during this short-duration dynamic event. Improved velocity profiles are proposed for better characterization of cavity expansion stresses based on the application of NECM and SECM to EPIC outputs. Structural engineers and model developers working on improving the accuracy of current analytical concrete penetration models and potentially reducing their reliance on fitting parameters will benefit from the findings of this research.