5.9 KiB
| title | chunk | source | category | tags | date_saved | instance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballistic limit | 1/1 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballistic_limit | reference | science, encyclopedia | 2026-05-05T11:45:41.342801+00:00 | kb-cron |
The ballistic limit or limit velocity is the velocity required for a particular projectile to reliably (at least 50% of the time) penetrate a particular piece of material. In other words, a given projectile will generally not pierce a given target when the projectile velocity is lower than the ballistic limit. The term ballistic limit is used specifically in the context of armor; limit velocity is used in other contexts. The ballistic limit equation for laminates, as derived by Reid and Wen is as follows:
V
b
=
π
Γ
ρ
t
σ
e
D
2
T
4
m
[
1
+
1
+
8
m
π
Γ
2
ρ
t
D
2
T
]
{\displaystyle V_{b}={\frac {\pi \,\Gamma \,{\sqrt {\rho _{t}\,\sigma _{e}}}\,D^{2}\,T}{4\,m}}\left[1+{\sqrt {1+{\frac {8\,m}{\pi \,\Gamma ^{2}\,\rho _{t}\,D^{2}\,T}}}}\,\right]}
where
V
b
{\displaystyle V_{b}\,}
is the ballistic limit
Γ
{\displaystyle \Gamma \,}
is a projectile constant determined experimentally
ρ
t
{\displaystyle \rho _{t}\,}
is the density of the laminate
σ
e
{\displaystyle \sigma _{e}\,}
is the static linear elastic compression limit
D
{\displaystyle D\,}
is the diameter of the projectile
T
{\displaystyle T\,}
is the thickness of the laminate
m
{\displaystyle m\,}
is the mass of the projectile Additionally, the ballistic limit for small-caliber into homogeneous armor by TM5-855-1 is:
V
1
=
19.72
[
7800
d
3
[
(
e
h
d
)
sec
θ
]
1.6
W
T
]
0.5
{\displaystyle V_{1}=19.72\left[{\frac {7800d^{3}\left[\left({\frac {e_{h}}{d}}\right)\sec \theta \right]^{1.6}}{W_{T}}}\right]^{0.5}}
where
V
1
{\displaystyle V_{1}}
is the ballistic limit velocity in fps
d
{\displaystyle d}
is the caliber of the projectile, in inches
e
h
{\displaystyle e_{h}}
is the thickness of the homogeneous armor (valid from BHN 360 - 440) in inches
θ
{\displaystyle \theta }
is the angle of obliquity
W
T
{\displaystyle W_{T}}
is the weight of the projectile, in lbs
== References ==