Investigation on shaped charge jet density gradient for metal matrix composites: Experimental design and execution

A novel experiment combined with projection method was developed to investigate the composition and density gradient of composite materials during the shaped charge jet formation process. Shock Physics Explicit Euler Dynamic (SPEED) simulation was applied to clarify the jet formation and penetration with built-in offset initiation in order to verify the validation of the experimental system. Tungsten-copper (W-Cu) liner was selected as a specific example for the experiment design and execution in this paper. The microstructures of the W-Cu jet recovered from the target surface were observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Meanwhile, Cu contents were detected by energy dispersed spectrum (EDS) along the penetration trail. The result shows that Cu contents vary with positions in the jet and density defects occur in the jet with a maximum of about 10% reduction at the jet tip. The relation between jet densities and positions was successfully established, providing a good basis for the shaped charge penetration calculation in the future work.