Axial force coefficient of APFSDS projectile

Abstract

Armor-piercing ammunition is primarily used to combat against heavy armored targets (tanks), but targets can be light armored vehicles, aircraft, warehouse, structures, etc. It has been shown that the most effective type of anti-tank ammunition in the world is the APFSDS ammunition (Armor Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot). The APFSDS projectile flies to the target and with his kinetic energy acts on the target, that is, penetrates through armor and disables the tank and his crew. Since the projectile destroys target with his kinetic energy, then it is necessary for the projectile to have the high impact velocity.

The decrease in the velocity of a projectile, during flight, is mainly influenced by aerodynamic forces. The most dominant is the axial force due to the laid trajectory of the projectile. By knowing the axial force (axial force coefficient), it is possible to predict the impact velocity of the projectile, by external ballistic calculation, in function of the distance of the target, and to define the maximum effective range from the aspect of terminal ballistics.

In this paper two models will be presented for predicting axial force (the axial force coefficient) of an APFSDS projectile after discarding sabot. The first model is defined in STANAG 4655 Ed.1. This model is used to predict the axial force coefficient for all types of conventional projectiles. The second model for predicting the axial force coefficient of an APFSDS projectile, which is presented in the paper, is the CFD-model (Computed Fluid Dynamics).