On the deep penetration of deforming long rods

A series of 2D numerical simulations was performed in order to follow various features in the penetration mechanics of deforming long rods. In particular, we were interested in the threshold velocity which marks the transition from rigid to deforming rod and the resulting depths of penetration around this transition velocity. We simulated various cases in which we varied the yield strengths of the rod and the target, as well as their densities and the nose shape of the rod. With the results of these simulations we constructed a rather simple model which accounts for the threshold velocity from rigid to deforming rod behavior. This model’s predictions are in good agreement with both our simulations and with experimental data for various rods and targets.