Modeling of non-eroding penetration using ALE3D and zapotec

Accurate predictions of non-eroding penetration are becoming a problem of increasing technological importance. Sandia's Zapotec (a coupling of Pronto3D and CTH) has been the code of choice for design purposes, but there have been some concerns expressed about relying on a single code methodology. Consequently, LLNL's ALE3D (which uses a slide line based approach) is currently being investigated for applicability. As a bench-mark, we choose to model the penetration experiments of steel projectiles against aluminum targets to examine the differences between the two methodologies.