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Tandem Armor-Breaking Warheads
Tandem Armor-Breaking Warheads
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Abstract. In order to cope with the continuous progress of tank protection technology, it is
imperative to optimize and improve the ability of existing armor-breaking warheads. This
paper mainly introduces the development history of explosive reactive armor, shaped charge jet
formation theory, shaped charge jet penetration theory, armor-breaking warhead technology,
series armor-breaking warhead technology and research status of armor-breaking/killing
compound warhead technology. Finally, the development trend of armor-breaking warhead in
the future is described, in order to provide some enlightenment for the design and improvement
of armor-breaking warhead in the future.
1. Introduction
The armor-breaking warhead, also known as shaped charge warhead, is formed by shaped charge
explosion after the metal jet through the armor of the warhead. The armor-breaker warhead is one of
the main anti-tank warheads. The shaped charge warhead relies on the metal jet formed by the metal
charge cover to destroy the target, so the initial velocity provided by the launching platform is not high.
It can be used for a variety of weapon platforms, such as artillery, rocket launcher, throwing and
laying. Shaped charge warhead is the most widely used warhead form [1]. However, with the
emergence and rapid development of Explosive reactive armor, ordinary shaped charge warhead has
been unable to meet the operational requirements, the need to optimize the existing expose armor
warhead and ascension, to be able to react to go bang armor of armored vehicles formation damage
effectively, optimize the sunder armor warhead sunder armor ability and improve to become the
research focus at home and abroad today [2]. Therefore, it is of great significance to summarize the
current situation and development of armor-breaking warhead technology.
Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence. Any further distribution
of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd 1
2022 International Conference on Defence Technology (2022 ICDT) IOP Publishing
Journal of Physics: Conference Series 2478 (2023) 072025 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/2478/7/072025
period, The United Kingdom, the United States and Germany all developed armor-breaking
ammunition by using shaped charge [3].
The period 1950 to 1970 belonged to the second phase of shaped charge warhead research. After
world War II, the world got back on track. During this period, some new experimental techniques
(such as high-speed photography and pulsed X-ray photography) were developed, which allowed
scientists to further investigate the mechanism of shaped charge warheads.
The period 1970 to 1990 belonged to the third stage of shaped charge warhead research. Based on the
mechanism of shaped charge warhead formed in the second stage, the research focus of this stage is
the optimization of structure design and process improvement of shaped charge warhead. In addition,
with the development of computers, many large computing programs, such as LS-DYNA,
MSC.DYTRAN and AUTODYN, emerged at this stage. Numerical simulation of shaped charge by
computer based on finite element, finite difference and finite volume numerical methods is the most
important research method at present. At present, most scholars use the research method of combining
numerical simulation with experiment. Numerical simulation provides guidance for experiment, and
experiment can verify simulation.
After 1990, the research of shaped charge warhead entered the fourth stage of relative maturity. At
this stage, there was a separation between the research academic circle and the engineering circle. The
academic circle mainly studied the new problems in modern war, such as the interaction between
shaped charge warhead and various new types of armor [4-6], and the jet formation mechanism of new
material drug cover [7-9].
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2022 International Conference on Defence Technology (2022 ICDT) IOP Publishing
Journal of Physics: Conference Series 2478 (2023) 072025 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/2478/7/072025
cartridge element is accelerated instantaneously to the final pressing speed and remains constant. On
this basis, a steady theoretical model is deduced, that is, the length of the jet remains constant, equal to
the length of the busbar of the conical cartridge. However, this is not consistent with the reality,
because there is a velocity gradient in the shaped charge jet, and the jet will continue to stretch in the
movement until it appears necking and is pulled off.
In 1952, Pugll [11] et al. improved this steady-state theory by taking into account the velocity gradient
of jet flow under the assumption of steady-state theory and forming the quasi-steady-state theory, also
known as PER theory. PER theory is based on the assumption that the cone Angle and wall thickness
of each cartridge element do not change, and the detonation wave is plane wave.
Behrmann [12] proposed an improved method in 1973, which could be used to calculate the non-conical
charge cap and the change of initiation point. In 1975, Godunov [13] of the Soviet Union also improved
the steady-state theory, mainly considering the viscoplastic behavior and strain rate correlation of jet
flow, which was later called the viscoplastic theory. The theoretical model includes the influence of
the viscosity of the charge cover material on jet formation, and the jet formation criterion is basically
based on the visco-plastic properties of metal, ignoring the impact of shock wave effect and critical
Mach number. Its jet formation criterion attempts to confirm the conditions for forming condensed jet,
which means that the jet does not produce radial dispersion or diffusion and has no lateral velocity
component, so it is called condensed jet.
Chou and Carleone [14-15] studied jet fracture using a one-dimensional model, and pointed out that the
ratio of jet flow stress Y to jet density ρ can control the steady growth of jet loss, that is, under the
same other conditions, when the ratio Y/ρ is small, the jet necking is slow, and when the ratio Y/ρ is
large, the jet necking is fast.
Where, and are the density of jet and target respectively. Pack and Evans [16] studied the penetration of
fracture jet on the basis of steady penetration theory. They believed that the penetration depth of jet
increases with the increase of blast height, but this was not consistent with the experimental results.
Allison and Vitali [17] assumed that there was a virtual source, and the virtual source was the point
source emitted by all efflux, and the efflux length was zero. DiPersio, Simon and Merendino [18-19]
improved on Allison and Vitali's virtual source theory and obtained DSM theory, which is the criterion
of constant penetration theory. These theories are based on empirical formulas for calculating jet depth
and do not reflect the physical phenomenon of jet penetration varying with blast height. Eichelberger
[20]
measured the relationship curve of jet penetration depth changing with time, which verified the
correctness of one-dimensional hydrodynamic penetration theory formula.
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2022 International Conference on Defence Technology (2022 ICDT) IOP Publishing
Journal of Physics: Conference Series 2478 (2023) 072025 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/2478/7/072025
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2022 International Conference on Defence Technology (2022 ICDT) IOP Publishing
Journal of Physics: Conference Series 2478 (2023) 072025 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/2478/7/072025
The density of nickel is similar to that of copper, but the sound velocity of nickel is higher, so the jet
formed by the nickel cover has a higher head velocity. Jia MY et al. [25] reviewed the research on the
material and structure of drug cap. Zhao LJ et al. [26] conducted numerical simulation and experimental
research on the armor-breaking power of different materials, and found that the armor-breaking power
of molybdenum alloy armor-breaking cover was higher than that of copper armor-breaking cover.
Zhao ZY [27] studied the armor breaking characteristics and mechanism of tungsten-copper alloy drug
cover, and found that its armor breaking penetration was 30% higher than that of copper drug cover
with the same structure. It can be seen that the material of large-density cartridge can indeed improve
the penetration power of jet, but the poor machining performance of some large-density metals and the
inconvenient materials limit the development of large-density cartridge.
In addition to traditional metal materials, active materials can also be used to make pharmaceutical
caps. The active material is a kind of active composite structure material. When the damage element
impinges and penetrates the target at a high speed, it will produce burning or killing elements in the
perforation, so as to improve the penetration power.
Zhang XP et al. [28-29] studied the combined effect of penetration explosion of active jet on steel target,
and found that the penetration depth of active jet was smaller than that of metal jet, but its penetration
aperture was significantly larger than that of metal jet, accompanied by a strong burst damage effect.
Guo HG et al. [30] studied jet forming and penetration of steel target in an activity-copper composite
cover shaped charge structure. It is found that the penetration depth of the active copper jet is
significantly higher than that of the single active jet, and the deflagration reaction of the active
material will lead to the premature termination of the penetration process. It can be seen that the active
charge cover is suitable for use as the charge cover of the fore-stage warhead, which can enlarge the
aperture diameter and ensure the fore-stage to detonate the explosive reactive armor reliably.
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2022 International Conference on Defence Technology (2022 ICDT) IOP Publishing
Journal of Physics: Conference Series 2478 (2023) 072025 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/2478/7/072025
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2022 International Conference on Defence Technology (2022 ICDT) IOP Publishing
Journal of Physics: Conference Series 2478 (2023) 072025 doi:10.1088/1742-6596/2478/7/072025
flameproof performance of rigid polyurethane foam and found that density would significantly affect
the mechanical properties and flameproof performance of polyurethane plastics. Within a certain range,
the higher the density, the better the effect.
With the development of modern weapon equipment and combat mode, conventional armor-breaking
warhead can no longer meet the needs of battlefield operations, so it is of great scientific significance
and application value to design a compound warhead that can deal with multiple targets.By filling
tungsten alloy fragments circumferentially in the armature warhead, the warhead is capable of striking
both heavily armored targets on the ground and lightly armored targets (helicopters) at low speed in
the air.
8. conclusion
(1)Armor-breaking warhead technology has always been closely in line with the development of tank
protection technology, and the two restrict and promote each other. Series armor-breaking warhead
will still be the main damage technology to deal with explosive reactive armor for a long time in the
future.
(2) The use of high explosive and high density, small grain size and active charge cover material is the
main technical approach to improve the penetration power of armor-breaking warhead, and the
research on the effect of superpolymer is also emerging quietly.
(3) The armor-destroying compound warhead is becoming a new trend in order to strike light armored
targets (helicopters) at low air speeds.
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