A Numerical Method for the Determination of the Virtual Origin Point of Shaped Charge Jets Instead of Using Flash X-ray Radiography

The effective jet length between the virtual origin (VO) point and the target surface is very important for the calculation of a shaped charge jet penetration. A numerical approach to determine the exact position of the VO of a small caliber shaped charge jet is presented in this paper. The numerical approach includes shaped charge jet formation algorithm using explicit Autodyn solver and estimates the precise location of the VO point using the hydrocode analysis. This is particularly important when the experimental flash X-ray radiograph is not available. The proposed VO model approach was validated by firing four small caliber shaped charges against concrete targets. The maximum difference between the experimental penetration depth and that calculated using the presented VO approach was less than 4%.