Scientists apply innovative data mining and visualization techniques to real-world weapon penetration mechanics problems.

When weaponeering a target, military planners pinpoint a detonation location that will result in the desired damage to the entire target, or even a particular area within the target. The warfighter then selects the most suitable delivery platform— aircraft, weapon, guidance package, release altitude, and speed— for inflicting the appropriate damage to the target. Determining the proper combination of variables capable of producing the desired effect on a hardened target requires the warfighter to understand the penetration dynamics of the weapon; it also relies on the individual’s ability to adjust the variables within his or her control, as necessary. For a scenario in which the destruction of a specific target is often coupled with the mitigation of collateral damage, it is imperative that the warfighter make proper decisions regarding weapons selections. AFRL scientists, collaborating with other Department of Defense agencies, applied innovative data mining and visualization methods to aid warfighter efficiency and effectiveness in making these choices.

AFRL, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), and the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) regularly conduct research to explore the effects of weapons penetration on hardened and structural targets. One result of this research has been the development of numerical models and algorithms both for predicting projectile penetration into geologic and structural targets and for estimating the cratering and other damage from subsequent weapons detonations. These models and algorithms are incorporated in a unique suite of software tools known as PENCURV+. PENCURV+ includes a weapons penetration model (PENCRV3D) that calculates threedimensional trajectories of rigid, axisymmetric projectiles impacting complex geologic/structural targets composed of curvilinear material layers.¹ Prior to the development of PENCRV3D, the simulation of hardtarget munitions penetration performance was limited to fairly benign weapon/target conditions. Furthermore, the penetration codes used in these early simulations employed oversimplified empirical models to calculate penetration dynamics. During the 1990s, joint AFRL, DTRA, and ERDC testing and development efforts improved and validated the algorithms and models and thus enabled researchers to generate more accurate weapons penetration solutions.