Experimental Investigation of the Enhanced Damage Behavior of Nb ₁₇ Zr ₃₃ Ti ₁₇ W ₃₃ HEA Reactive Projectile Impacting Fuel‐Filled Tank

Nb 17 Zr 33 Ti 17 W 33 high‐entropy alloy (HEA) is a novel energetic material developed by us, which exhibits non–self‐sustained chemical energy release under high dynamic loading conditions. To investigate the coupling influence between kinetic and chemical energy on damage behavior, we conducted a comparative study of the damage inflicted by Nb 17 Zr 33 Ti 17 W 33 HEA reactive projectiles versus conventional tungsten heavy alloy (WHA) projectiles. The tests employed fuel tanks as targets, taking into account parameters such as impact velocity, hit location (oil layer or gas layer), air filling ratio, and others. The experimental results demonstrate that, compared to WHA projectiles, Nb 17 Zr 33 Ti 17 W 33 HEA reactive projectiles cause significantly greater structural damage and exhibit a more pronounced ignition effect. Based on the test results, we elucidate the enhanced ignition behavior and damage mechanism of the Nb 17 Zr 33 Ti 17 W 33 HEA reactive material. In addition, leveraging the energy release characteristics induced by the impact of Nb 17 Zr 33 Ti 17 W 33 , a semiempirical structural failure model of the fuel tank’s front plate was developed.