A Methodology to Derive Shaped Charge Jet Characteristics Which Will Not Initiate Thin Explosive Interlayers

Abstract

Perforating add-on explosive reactive armour modules without initiation thereof, has been a long standing objective of warhead designers due to the expected minimal disturbance of the follow through main charge jet. In this study ERA initiation and perforation thresholds were explored with copper liner based shaped charges. Analyses and experiments taking into account of the IT-threshold in combination with the observed interaction of shaped charge jets with ERA targets resulted in the need for a new warhead design. This concept design entails a jet with tailored kinetic energy characteristics, i.e. a jet with a v2D below the IT but with still enough energy to perforate four armoured plates, at different angles, without initiating the energetic material of a double ERA target.