Influence of metal on the far-exploding surface on fragment deformation behavior under contact explosion

Metals exhibit diverse failure behavior under impact loading. In the context of fragment warheads, preformed fragments also undergo fracture and crushing behaviors when subjected to explosive loading, potentially diminishing the terminal effect and damage capability of the warhead. To address this issue, metal disks of varying impedance were applied to the far-exploding surface of the fragments, and their influence on fragment deformation behavior was examined. The experimental results revealed that when metal disks were attached to the far-exploding surface of the fragments, their fracture behavior changed, and the recovered fragments remained intact axially. Additionally, the axial length of the recovered fragments decreased as the impedance of the metal disk on the far-exploding surface increased. To elucidate the underlying mechanism of this experimental phenomenon, the variation in fragment pressure during the propagation process was calculated by employing theories of planar detonation waves and shock wave propagation in the study. The results indicate that when the impedance of the metal disks on the far-exploding surface is higher than that of the fragments, it leads to an increase in internal pressure and the formation of a compression zone within the fragments, thereby preventing fragment fracture. Conversely, lower impedance results in the formation of a tensile effect within the fragments. The theoretical and experimental results were consistent. Finally, based on the dimensional analysis, the dimensionless models were established to predict fragment deformation and internal pressure values influenced by the metal disk on the far-exploding surface. © 2024 Author(s).