Theoretical analysis for self-sharpening penetration of tungsten high-entropy alloy into steel target with elevated impact velocities

The“self-sharpening”effect has been observed experimentally in the penetration of tungsten high-entropy alloy(WHEA)into steel targets in previous study.From the microscopic observation of the residual WHEA long-rod projectile(LRP),the multiphase structure at micro-scale of WHEA is the key effects on self-sharpening penetration process.In order to describe the distinctive penetration behavior,the interaction between micro phases is introduced to modify the hydrodynamic penetration model.The yield strengths of WHEA phases are determined based on the solid solution strengthening methods.Combined with the elbow-streamline model,the self-sharpening mechanism is revealed in view of the multi-phase flow dynamics and the flow field in the deformation area of the LRP nose is characterized to depict the shear layer evolution and the shape of the LRP’s nose as well as the determination of the penetration channel.The self-sharpening coefficient considering the reduction of nose radius is proposed and introduced into the penetration model to calculate the depth of penetration and the penetration channel.Results show that the multi-phase interaction at the microscopic level contributes to the inhomogeneous distribution of the WHEA phases.The shear layer evolution separates part of the LRP material from the nose and makes the nose radius decrease more quickly.It is also the reason that WHEA LRPs have a pointed nose compared with the mushroom nose of WHA heavy alloy(WHA)LRPs.The calculated results agree well with the corresponding experimental data of WHA and WHEA LRPs penetrating into semi-infinite medium carbon steel targets with elevated impact velocities.

Ballistic performance of tungsten particle/metallic glass matrix composite long rod

In the present manuscript numerical analysis on the ballistic performance of a tungsten particle/metallic glass matrix(WP/MG) composite rod is conducted by integrating with related experimental investigations. In the corresponding finite element method(FEM) simulations a modified coupled thermomechanical constitutive model is employed to describe the mechanical properties of metallic glass(MG)matrix, and geometrical models of the WP/MG composite rod are established based on its inner structure. The deformation and failure characteristics of the rod and target materials are analyzed in detail,and the influences of various factors on the ballistic performance of the WP/MG composite long rod are discussed. Related analysis demonstrates that the penetrating performance of the WP/MG rod is similar to that of the tungsten fiber/metallic glass matrix(WF/MG) composite long rod, i.e., a "self-sharpening" behavior also occurs during the penetration process, and correspondingly its penetrating capability is better than that of the tungsten heavy alloy(WHA) rod. However, the mass erosion manner of the WP/MG rod is different and the erosion is relatively severe, thus its penetrating capability is a little lower compared with that of the WF/MG one. Moreover, the impact velocity and the target strength have significant influences on the ballistic performance of the WP/MG composite rod, whereas the effect of initial nose shape is very little.

Experimental study on WFeNiMo high-entropy alloy projectile penetrating semi-infinite steel target

The appearance of high-entropy alloys (HEAs) makes it possible for a material to possess both high strength and high ductility. It is with great potential to apply HEAs under extreme conditions such as in the penetration process. In this paper, experiments of WFeNiMo HEA and tungsten heavy alloy (WHA) projectiles penetrating medium-carbon steel were conducted by using the ballistic gun and two-stage light-gas gun that can accelerate projectiles to impact velocities ranging from 1162 m/s to 2130 m/s. Depth of penetration (DOP) at elevated impact velocities of HEA and WHA projectiles were obtained firstly. Combined with the macroscopic and microscopic analysis of the residual projectiles, the transition of the penetration mode of the WFeNiMo HEA projectile was identified systemically. The experimental results indicated that the penetration mode of the HEA projectile changes from self-sharpening to mushrooming with the increase of impact velocity, while for the WHA projectile, the penetration mode is always mushrooming. The microstructure of the residual HEA projectiles showed that the phases tangle with each other and the morphology of the microstructure of the phases differs in the two penetration modes. Besides, the evolution of shear bands and fractures varies in the two modes. The evolution of the microstructure of HEAs causes the sharp-pointed nose to disappear and the HEA projectile ultimately becomes blunt as the impact velocity increases.

Grain erosion wear properties and grinding performance of porous aggregated cubic boron nitride abrasive wheels

Cubic boron nitride(cBN)superabrasive grinding wheels exhibit unique advantages in the grinding of difficult-to-cut materials with high strength and toughness,such as titanium alloys and superalloys.However,grinding with multilayered metallic cBN superabrasive wheels faces problems in terms of grain wear resistance,the chip storage capability of the working layers and the stability and controllability of the dressing process.Therefore,in this work,novel metallic cBN superabrasive wheels with aggregated cBN(AcBN)grains and open pore structures were fabricated to improve machining efficiency and surface quality.Prior to the grinding trials,the airborne abrasive blasting process was conducted and the abrasive blasting parameters were optimized in view of wear properties of cBN grains and metallic matrix materials.Subsequently,the comparative experiments were performed and then the variations in grinding force and force ratio,grinding temperature,tool wear morphology and ground surface quality of the multilayered AcBN grinding wheels were investigated during machining Ti-6Al-4V alloys.In consideration of the variations of grain erosion wear volume and material removal rate per unit of pure metallic matrix materials as the abrasive blasting parameters changes,the optimal abrasive blasting parameters were identified as the SiC abrasive mesh size of 60#and the abrasive blasting distance and time of 60 mm and 15 s,respectively.The as-developed AcBN grains exhibited better fracture toughness and impact resistance than monocrystalline cBN(McBN)grains because of the existence of metal-bonded materials amongst multiple cBN particles that decreased crack propagation inside whole grains.The metallic porous AcBN wheels had lower grinding forces and temperature and better ground surface quality than vitrified McBN wheels due to the constant layer-by-layer exposure of cBN particles in the working layer of AcBN wheels.