Effect of elastic target material on Taylor model

A theoretical model is proposed for a semi-infinite elastic bar struck axially by a flat-ended cylindrical projectile. The model is actually developed from the classical Taylor model except that the target is a semi-infinite bar with elastic behavior being considered. Particular attention is paid to the influence due to elastic wave propagation in the target bar on the energy partitioning between the projectile and target, which may result in the final length of the cylinder significantly different from the predictions of the classical Taylor model. The theoretical model is verified by numerical simulations, and the effects of several key non-dimensional parameters on the residual deformation and energy dissipation are discussed in detail. It is shown that the elastic effect of the target bar plays an important role in the prediction of plastic deformation of the cylindrical projectile.