Experimental and numerical study of the impact of spherical projectiles on ballistic gelatine at velocities up to 160 m/s

Ballistic gelatine is commonly used as a representative simulant for soft tissues of the human body. However, its exact mechanical properties are not well known. At three different 'low' velocities three different spherical projectiles of 20, 40 and 50 mm diameter were fired at ballistic gelatine from a distance of 3 m. The selected velocities are representative for so- called 'non-lethal' or 'less-lethal' projectiles. The projectiles were made from ABS plastic. The velocity of the projectile was measured at a distance of 1 m from the muzzle of the canon using a photoelectric counter chronometer. Positions and velocities of the projectile in the gelatine were measured as a function of time using a high-speed camera. The experimental data were fitted using AUTODYN® software to obtain physical properties of ballistic gelatine.