EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON THE INFLUENCE OF GLASS THICKNESS ON THE POST-PERFORATION KINEMATICS OF MONOLITHIC COPPER PROJECTILES

Abstract

To investigate the motion characteristics of projectiles post-perforation glass targets of varying thicknesses, this study employed monolithic copper projectiles with a ballistic coefficient of 1.03 to perforate standard soda-lime glass plates of 3 mm, 5 mm, and 10 mm thickness. High-speed imaging techniques were utilized to capture the post-perforation motion dynamics, while velocity measurement systems recorded impact velocities, and soft recovery methods enabled projectile retrieval. Time-dependent curves for centroid displacement, yaw angle, and angular variations were derived from the imaging data and projectile measurements. Statistical analysis of multi-test averages revealed preliminary conclusions validating the experimental methodology. Polynomial relationships were established to characterize centroid displacement, yaw angle, and angular rate over time. Quantitative analysis demonstrated positive correlations between glass thickness and projectile length loss, mass loss, velocity reduction, and kinetic energy dissipation. These findings provide critical insights for the design of specialized ammunition optimized for glass barrier penetration scenarios.