Sub-scale ballistic testing of an ultrafine grained tungsten alloy into concrete targets

Ultrafine grained tungsten-based alloys are promising kinetic energy penetrator materials because of their high strengths and densities, making them ideal for penetration into concrete and geomaterials. However, there are difficulties in evaluating their ballistic performance using traditional testi...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Carpenter, Ryan R., Schuster, Brian E., Cordero, Zachary Copoulos, Schuh, Christopher A
Other Authors: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Format: Article
Language:en_US
Published: Elsevier 2018
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/115301
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1664-7939
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9856-2682
Description
Summary:Ultrafine grained tungsten-based alloys are promising kinetic energy penetrator materials because of their high strengths and densities, making them ideal for penetration into concrete and geomaterials. However, there are difficulties in evaluating their ballistic performance using traditional testing techniques because ultrafine grain sizes are challenging to achieve in bulk parts. In this letter, we performed sub-scale ballistic experiments where ultrafine tungsten alloy cores were fired into concrete targets using small caliber projectile assemblies. The results suggest that sub-scale testing may be used as a screening tool for advanced kinetic energy penetrator materials that are more easily prepared in smaller geometries. Keywords: Ultrafine grained; Tungsten; Rigid body penetration; Concrete; Penetrator materials