Simulation and experimental study on the effects of annular groove design on the inner surface of behind-armor damage

Abstract The continual pursuit of enhanced destructive effects in contemporary military endeavors has fostered in-depth research aimed at enhancing warhead performance. This study focuses on improving the lateral killing efficacy of shaped charge explosives, employing Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) methodology for simulation. Keeping charge height and warhead diameter constant, the investigation analyzes the impact of varying depths and spacings of annular grooves on post-destruction effects. Research findings indicate that, contingent upon groove depth and spacing, there are distinct patterns of change in both front and rear perforation areas. Particularly noteworthy is the observed increase in front perforation area by 66.14% and rear perforation area by 17.8% under the conditions of a 2mm spacing and 0.3mm depth of grooves, significantly surpassing the ungrooved scenario. Aluminum plate perforation analysis reveals that, in the majority of cases, annular grooved warhead shells result in larger primary perforation areas and a greater number of secondary perforations compared to ungrooved counterparts. Experimental and numerical simulation results demonstrate highly consistent penetration effects of annular grooved warhead shells within different spacings, with errors consistently below 5%. Particularly in the case of annular grooves with a depth of 0.3mm, the expansion area varies with spacing, while experiments and simulation results with a 2mm spacing exhibit pronounced front and rear perforation areas, reflecting effectiveness in diffusion-based killing effects. Overall, the design of annular grooves on the inner surface of warhead shells significantly enhances lateral diffusion effects, with the consistency between experimental and simulation data reinforcing this assertion.