Measurement of a single fragment’s velocity by using a controlled fragmentation method

Abstract. The phenomenon of explosively driven fragmentation of metal cases was mainly studied with statistical approaches due to its randomness. The behavior of a single fragment have been outside of the research subject because of the size, shape, position and flying direction of explosively generated fragments are hardly predicted. We have been developing a novel method to control fragmentation by using the shaped charge effects with 3D-printed models. This method controls the fracture positions on the metal cylinder, which decides the size, shape and positions of fragments. The velocity and trajectory of a single fragment was analyzed using screen sensors up to 4.0 m from the explosives. The single fragment’s velocity calculated from the time of arrival and the distance at each sensor was about 900 m/s, which was consistent with high-speed camera results.