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relative strength of materials

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FSB1

Aerospace
Sep 23, 2013
71
What are the properties that define if an arrow can pierce through a wall?

I guess the material properties, as ultimate strength
and the geometry - thickness of the wall, sharpness of the arrow

but given particular examples
arrow of steel
wall of titanium, 10mm thick,

how can we theoretically estimate if the arrow will pierce through or not?
 
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It depends on the impact strength of the wall. It would be very hard (if not impossible) to calculate this analytically. But one can use Finite Element Analysis to simulate the impact with high enough accuracy without the need for physical experiment.
 
There are various calculations that can be done for penetration of metals by hard projectiles. This was a matter of great interest to designers of tanks and battleships and the like, so they had budgets. Mr Okun has put a lot of work into this


I'd add that FEA would be no more accurate since the unknown is the material properties at high strain rates, not the physics.


Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376
 
Thanks GregLocock
I agree that weapon/bullet makers would have some approach to this instead of just testing
 
yes, FEA simulations of impacts (like for birdstrike, using LS-Dyna).

Agree with Greg, these simulatations need to be well grounded/validated by tests.

another day in paradise, or is paradise one day closer ?
 
leo16,

When I first took an FEA course, we were shown the predicted behaviour of an artillery shell upon impact, and then a photograph of it. It either was a very good analysis, or it was good cherry picking. If the geometry of your arrow and the angle of impact do not conform precisely to your model, there will be a massive effect on the outcome.

--
JHG
 
even if the arrow geometry and trajectory are correct, the modelling can still "lie" or mislead you … without a good test basis.

another day in paradise, or is paradise one day closer ?
 
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