Analytical cavity expansion penetration models compared with numerical simulations

Penetration models for rigid projectiles based on cavity expansion theory (CET) are widely used. In this article we performed several hydrocode simulations and compared with analytical results from CET-based theories for the exact same material models. Our aim was to discover whether the complete penetration process was correctly described through the general framework of penetration theories based on CET. It was found that this was generally not the case, although for certain materials the method provided a good estimate of final penetration depth. Improvements that should form part of any new analytical penetration theory were accordingly suggested.