Joint DOD/DOE Munitions / Computational Mechanics and Material Modeling
Abstract
In the area of Computational Mechanics and Material Modeling, the Joint Department of Defense (DoD)/ Department of Energy (DOE) Munitions Technology Development Program (JMP) is developing the ability to accurately predict the behavior of weapons in operating environments of extreme pressure, temperature, and velocity. This capability is essential to the development of lethal, accurate, and cost effective systems. To meet the needs of the DoD and DOE communities, there is a requirement for validated models using high-performance computing hardware and software that are capable of carrying out a broad class of continuum mechanics simulations where shock waves, nonlinear dynamics, and multi-materials gas dynamics are important. In particular, this aspect of the JMP focuses on significant improvements to material models that accurately represent the materials of interest in dynamic states coupled with numerical and algorithmic improvements to enhance our problem-solving capabilities for munitions development, advanced energetics, and target lethality predictions. Four general classes of modeling codes offer solutions to the varied requirements posed by the defense community for the shock analysis regime. Eulerian shock physics tools are effective for a large number of conventional weapons and advanced energetics-related simulations. In situations where there is significant material deformation and turbulent mixing, Eulerian formulations are the most efficient. A second class of codes addresses the large, nonlinear dynamics that can be important for weapons design and development. Such Lagrangian calculations provide design information that complements information provided by the Eulerian shock physics codes. For example, many penetration problems involve detailed structural mechanics that are not appropriate for Eulerian codes but can be addressed by Lagrangian methods. A third class of tools combines these capabilities by using Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) algorithms to solve the conservation equations appropriate for shock analysis. This class of codes performs a range of simulations such as penetration mechanics, thermal cook-off, and fragment impact, where multi-physics phenomena descriptions are required across a wide range of time scales that cannot be addressed adequately with either Eulerian or Lagrangian codes. These ALE codes and associated validated material models represent the future in modeling complex dynamics encountered in a broad spectrum of applications across the defense community. Meshless Particle Techniques such as the Dual Particle Dynamics (DPD) Code have been under development for several years. Particle codes are particularly effective for problems with severe distortions, damage, and failure, phenomena that can be problematic to capture with the workhorse Lagrangian codes. The Department's utilization of these capabilities has primarily been in the Science and Technology (S&T) community. It is desirable to extend the use of modeling and simulation tools into the engineering design community, and the JMP is pursuing this objective and continues to provide and enhance these advanced modeling tools.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Accomplishment
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2011
- Source ID
- 8939eaa39a84c74334995d0154d81dd4