REPUBLIC OF SERBIA

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

www.mod.gov.rs

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

Material Resources Sector

Defensive Technologies Department

Military Technical Institute

www.vti.mod.gov.rs

EXPERIMENTAL AND MODEL SCALE TESTS OF RPG PROPULSION AND TIMPACT

PRZEMYSŁAW KUPIDURA

Faculty of Mechanics, Military University of Technology, Warsaw, Poland, pkupidura@wat.edu.pl

ZBIGNIEW LECIEJEWSKI

Faculty of Mechatronics and Aerospace, Military University of Technology

ROBERT PANOWICZ

ZBIGNIEW SURMA

RADOSŁAW TRĘBIŃSKI

Faculty of Mechatronics and Aerospace, Military University of Technology

Abstract: Because of an anti-armour rocket launcher firing is one of the most significant threats for vehicles being used by troops involved in asymmetrical conflicts therefore various methods of active and passive protection of vehicles are being developed in different countries. Military University of Technology in Warsaw is also participating in this type of research works. The subject of this paper is analysis of selected problems of passive protection. Mounting mesh or bar structures causing rocket destruction before fuze action is the simplest method to provide passive protection against RPG rockets. The results of theoretical and experimental tests with RPG rocket of 1:3 scale striking the model of a bar armour are presented in this paper. For this purpose, the special laboratory stand enabled to accelerate projectile’s model to appropriate velocity was developed and theoretical and practical analyses of RPG model propulsion were carried out. The projectile model impact tests were conducted for bars of different cross section being fixed into numerous configurations (regarding distance between bars, angle of attack etc). Obtained results of firing tests were compared to these ones, acquired with numerical simulations. To perform the analyses LS-DYNA software based on the finite element method with algorithm of explicit integration in time was used. The objective of the presented numerical simulations was to examine consistency with experimental investigations, which was proven in excellent extend. These results have been finally used during development of cage armour for light armoured vehicles.

Key words: RPG rocket, passive protective structure, shaped charge.