On the Scaling of Low-Velocity Perforation of Mild Steel Plates

Experimental results are reported for the perforation of geometrically similar fully clamped circular and square mild steel plates struck transversely by cylindrical projectiles having blunt, conical, and hemispherical noses. The striking masses are much heavier than the corresponding plate mass and travel with initial impact velocities up to about $12m∕s$⁠. The blunt projectiles perforate the plating easiest, while the hemispherical-nosed ones require the greatest energy. The perforation energy of a conical-nosed projectile is somewhat less than that for a hemispherical-nosed one. The data are used to explore the validity of the geometrically similar scaling laws over a geometric scale range of 4. The experimental results are compared to the empirical equations for the impact perforation of plates and with theoretical rigid-plastic predictions for the large ductile deformation behavior of those test specimens, which did not suffer cracking or perforation. The experimental results satisfy the requirements of geometrically similar scaling and some simple equations are presented, which are useful for design purposes.