Challenges in hydrocode modeling of projectile impact onto ceramic armor in a velocity regime comprising interface defeat, partial dwell, and full penetration

In the context of long rod impact against ceramic targets, the range of impact velocities from about 400 m/s to 1900 m/s covers cases of full and partial dwell as well as of immediate penetration, posing challenges in the accurate description by a unified numerical simulation model capable of predicting dwell times, residual penetration depths, and the fragmentation of the ceramics. In this work, through systematic comparison with a large set of impact data from prior experimental work on tungsten heavy alloy long-rod penetrators impacting onto unconfined silicon carbide ceramic tiles backed by rolled homogeneous armor, hydrocode simulations are exploited to assess the gaps in the characterization and modeling of ceramic materials and in the numerical approaches for the description of the projectile-target interaction. The different phenomena to be described demand competing modeling solutions and an attempt of their combination in a unified simulation approach with a commercial code is here tested and discussed.