Determining Ricocheting Projectiles’ Temperature Using Numerical and Experimental Approaches

This paper describes the process of creating a numerical FEM (finite element method) model of the 5.56 × 45 mm SS109 projectile. The model was used to calculate the temperatures occurring in the projectile materials during the impact on the steel plate at an angle of 45°. The purpose of the investigation is to estimate the ability of a ricocheting projectile to cause ignition. For the same projectile, experimental tests were also carried out under the conditions adopted for the numerical investigation in order to validate the FEM model. During the experiment, temperature was measured with a thermal camera; the phenomenon was also recorded with a colour high-speed camera.