Study of penetration performance of oxide dispersion strengthened tungsten heavy alloys fabricated by conventional sintering

Abstract

The behavior of structures under ballistic impact is of significant interest in the defense industry. Kinetic energy penetrators have been widely used to destroy tanks, armored vehicles, and other armored targets. With the increase in armor thickness and improvements in armor protection technology, the armor-piercing capacity of rod penetrators needs to be further improved. Research currently focuses on tungsten heavy alloy (WHA) penetrators, as the conventionally used depleted uranium alloys are hazardous for use on battlefields. Tungsten-heavy alloys are a potentially suitable candidate for penetrator application, even though it has a comparatively lower penetration performance than depleted uranium alloys because of their high density, strength, ductility, etc. Studies have focused on improving tungsten-heavy alloys' mechanical properties and penetration capabilities for the past two decades. Developments in processing methods, alloying, strengthening, etc., are proposed as effective solutions from past research. This research project investigates the penetration performance, and dynamic deformation behavior of some newly developed oxide dispersion strengthened tungsten heavy alloys (ODS-WHA) fabricated through conventional sintering. Several studies have shown that the oxide dispersion strengthened tungsten heavy alloys have better penetration performance than conventional ones. The suitability of the novel alloys as penetrator materials is studied after evaluating the high strain rate deformation behavior by performing the Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB) test under various strain rates. The Johnson-Cook material and damage model describes the deformation behavior during the ballistic impact. ABAQUS explicit dynamic simulation software is used to model the ballistic impact test. The penetration performance of new alloys is studied from the simulation results.