A novel approach to penetrator calculations

The author presents a novel method for calculating the penetration of soft targets by hard projectiles by using a combination of ALE and contact surface techniques. This method allows the bifurcation in the softer material (at the point of the projectile) to be represented without sacrificing the Lagrangian representation of either the harder material or the contact interface. A series of calculations using this method show good agreement with the experimental data of Forrestal et al. This method may prove useful for a range of semi-fluid/structure interactions with friction, including simulations of manufacturing processes.