Hypervelocity Impact: Understanding the Pressure-Driven Damage Mechanism in Metal Targets

During hypervelocity impact, the target undergoes extreme conditions, experiencing high temperature, pressure, and strain rate. These factors lead to observable macro-level changes like shear fracture and spalling, as well as micro-level alterations including grain deformation, fragmentation, and phase transformation. The extent of these changes is closely tied to the physical and mechanical properties of both the projectile and the target, along with the specifics of the collision. Ultimately, the pressure at the interface between the projectile and the target during impact emerges as the primary control factor in determining the resulting damage. This pressure is influenced by variables such as collision speed, projectile-target density, and shock wave speed. The rapid pressure fluctuations trigger adiabatic heating of the material, leading to damage under high temperature and pressure conditions. Consequently, studying the main control parameters of the collision process and their connection with collision pressure is crucial. This endeavor aims to derive a pressure equation for typical metal materials during impact. This equation can then be utilized to establish the relationship between the failure performance and collision speed of the target plate.