Numerical simulation of penetration of aluminum targets by spherical-nose steel rods

Numerical simulations of the penetration processes in aluminium blocks by spherical-nose steel rods were performed in this study. The specific impact configuration of this study involves 152-mm diameter 6061-T651 aluminum bars impacted by spherical-nose projectiles machined from T-200 maraging steel rods at nominal impact velocities between 300 and 1000 m/s. The transient dynamic finite element code LS-DYNA2D was used for the numerical analysis. The erosion capability in LS-DYNA2D was exercised in conjunction with the maximum equivalent plastic strain criterion to carry out failure simulations in the target. Calculated results were compared to the experimental data. Good correlation was obtained.