Re: "Interesting" info about Depleted Uranium penetrators/HEAT rounds

From: Carey Sublette (careysub_at_earthling.net)
Date: 12/14/04 

To: sci-military-moderated@moderators.isc.org
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 2004 09:29:41 GMT

"Paul Saccani" <traptinnedspicedham@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:9d5tr018r5jegm4kj9cdgvds531d8kbaat@4ax.com...
> On Mon, 13 Dec 2004 12:15:28 +0100, "tw" <no@no.com> wrote:
>
>>OK, done. To the denizens of sci.physics. Does an anti tank shell which
>>consistes of a tungsten penetrator use kinetic energy (i.e. a product of
>>its
>>weight and speed) to penetrate armour, or is the chemical definition of
>>"kinetic" applicable here instead? Myself, I am 100% sure it is the
>>primary
>>definition of kinetics, i.e. it is the combination of the projectiles
>>speed
>>and weight (but mostly speed) that applies here, rather than "The branch
>>of
>>chemistry that is concerned with the rates of change in the concentration
>>of
>>reactants in a chemical reaction"
>>
>>Whilst no one is disputing considerably thermal energy is produced in such
>>an event, the solid DU round punches through the armour due to its
>>kinetic
>>energy, it does not "melt through the mettle (sic)" due to some chemical
>>reaction. true or false?
>
> Long rod penetrators do indeed melt the armour in their path, and their
> tips
> ablate. The combination of molten metal etc... flows rapidly around the
> penetrator as it goes through, like mud around a drill string. So it is
> not
> like punching a hole in the manner of say, a familiar paper punch.

The flowing of the metal is more likely simply the effect of exceeding the
yield strength of the metal in front of the penetrator tip. The tip, I'd
say, "erodes" not "ablates".

This is also true of HEAT rounds, the metal particle stream (not liquid or
vapor) acting basically like a long rod penetrator (or contrariwise, the
long rod penetrator is a much like a fixed version of a HEAT jet).

Carey Sublette