Active Tamping Experiments

Abstract

This study is an experimental investigation of an advanced explosive technique for improving the penetration and/or hole volume capabilities of shaped charge warheads. The technique is based upon using an inner and outer explosive layer in an otherwise conventional shaped charge configuration. The outer layer of explosive is chosen to have a slower detonation velocity than the inner. This produces a situation in the expanding detonation products where the rarefaction wave which originates at the outside wall, arrives at the centerline later in time than if the explosive load were uniform. In the present series of experiments which consisted of one shot of each configuration, an increase of almost 30 percent in penetration was obtained between the FMC loaded baseline case and the best FMC loaded test case. because of the limited data, caution must be used in applying this increase to all cases, particularly when the Firestone loaded warheads show the same degree of difference from the baseline cases.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 01, 1979
Accession Number
ADA082061

Entities

People

  • Dennis W. Baum
  • John D. Watson
  • Robert F. Flagg
  • Stephen P. Gill

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Asymmetry
  • Detonation Waves
  • Detonations
  • Energy
  • Energy Transfer
  • Explosive Charges
  • Explosive Devices
  • Explosives
  • Measurement
  • Photographs
  • Shaped Charge Warheads
  • Shaped Charges
  • Standards
  • Test Facilities
  • Wave Phenomena
  • Wave Propagation
  • X Rays

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Atmospheric Science / Meteorology, specifically Wind Wave Turbulence.
  • Rocket Propulsion.
  • ballistics.