76th Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics (November 19, 2023 — November 21, 2023)

V0036: High-Speed Photoelasticity of a .22 Bullet Penetrating Birefringent Ballistic Gel

Authors

• Andrew Bridges, Member / Exhibitor

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/APS.DFD.2023.GFM.V0036

Recorded at MIT's Edgerton Center, a .22 slug was fired into a block of synthetic ballistic gel and recorded at 20,000 frames per second (fps) using Photron's high-speed 2D polarization camera, the CRYSTA. The resultant photoelasticity clearly shows the shock and strain being distributed throughout the gel block as the projectile tumbles and spins in the gel. Interestingly, at one point, as the gel seals itself behind the projectile, there can be seen a flash of self-illuminance as the gel contracts and expands without being able to exhaust or intake air.