Cavitation and Mushrooming in Attack of Thick Targets by Deforming Rods

Abstract

This paper analyzes the cavitation and mushrooming phenomena occurring in a metal target during the high-speed penetration by a deforming rod. It is motivated by the fact that two mechanisms are involved in the formation of cavity by a deforming rod. First, the flow of the deformed rod products exerting radial stress on the target opens a cavity (mushrooming). Second, the radial inertia of the target as it flows around the head plays another part in the formation of the cavity (cavitation). By examining the dynamics of the flow of deformed rod products, the proposed model can estimate the extent of cavity growth due to the mushrooming effect. Predicted results for the final cavity growth are found to match well with the corresponding test values.