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Department of Mechanical Engineering

Projectile penetration of thin aluminium plate

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

The study of thin plate penetration has long been hampered by the lack of experimental data and that which has been reported is concerned mainly with displacement time records of the projectile and target responses to impact. In the present study two new techniques have been developed to monitor: the penetration process. The first records a specific particle deceleration in the projectile during penetration from which the forces of impact can be derived and the second records the growth of the projectile target contact area. Whereas data obtained from the first method can only describe the projectile's response to impact, it is possible by means of the second method to interrelate the projectile and target responses. The combination of these two techniques therefore provides a powerful tool by which thin plate impacts can be studied. To understand the nature of the experimental results which have been obtained, an empirical model of thin plate penetration has been developed. This analysis is based on the assumption that on impact, the target responds as a thin rigid plastic membrane and has been found to model the penetration process reasonably well for D/H ratios greater than 10.

Degree

thesis:*
Grantor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Year dc:date.issued
1978

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Pearson, Giles Christopher
Advisor dc:contributor.advisor
  • Dutkiewicz, R K

Subjects

dc:subject × 1

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Handle dc:identifier.uri
http://hdl.handle.net/11427/38912
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/38912

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
University of Cape Town
Base URL
open.uct.ac.za/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Pearson, Giles Christopher. Projectile penetration of thin aluminium plate. Department of Mechanical Engineering, 1978. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/38912