Penetration performance of tungsten fiber / metallic glass matrix composite long rods onto ceramic targets

In order to investigate the penetration performance of tungsten fiber / metallic glass matrix (WF/MG) composite long rods onto ceramic targets as well as the deformation and failure characteristics of both projectile and target materials, the adaptive coupling algorithm with finite element method and smoothed particle hydrodynamics (FE-SPH) is employed to conduct related simulations integrated with the corresponding experiments, and comparative analysis is conducted between the ballistic performances of tungsten alloy long rods impacting onto ceramic targets and WF/MG composite long rods onto steel targets, and the corresponding similarities and differences in the deformation and failure features of long rods and targets are discussed. Furthermore, the effects of several factors, including impact velocity, rod nose shape, and mechanical properties of ceramic materials, on the ballistic characteristics and damage evolution features of ceramic targets, are analyzed in detail. Related analysis demonstrates that during the impact onto ceramic targets, severe dispersion of tungsten fibers occurs in the rod nose region, and thus the penetration capability of WF/MG composite long rods is significantly lower than that regarding to metallic targets, and it is also lower than that of tungsten alloy long rods against ceramic targets. Impact velocity, rod nose shape, and the strength of ceramic material all have significant influences on the dynamic response characteristics of composite long rod and ceramic target. Increasing the impact velocity helps to suppress the dispersion of tungsten fibers, thereby enhances the penetration capability of composite long rod; the flat-nosed long rod can induce broader region of crack initiation and propagation within the ceramic target; lower ceramic strength leads to wider inner damage regions within the target caused by the impact of composite long rod. Related research is beneficial to predicting and evaluating the penetration performance of WF/MG composite long rods against high-strength brittle targets such as ceramic targets, and also to recognize the applicable scenarios for this new kind of long rod.