Bullet impacts and steel plate/pipe

[Richard.Howe]

So...I'm helping to design some very minor oil processing facilities near an area frequented by big game hunters (large deer and elk).

Is anyone aware of publicly-available bullet/steel impact studies? I'm particularly interested in whether typical big-game loads (.308 Win, 300 Win Mag, 7 mag, etc.) would penetrate pipes and/or plates of various thicknesses and metallurgies, at various temperatures.

Seems like this topic would have been of interest to the military...

Take care,
Rich

 

[BobCat]

Richard,

Try http://stinet.dtic.mil/ and search their tecnical reports for "armor" or "armor penetration" or "RHA" - terms like that. Many of the hits you get will be abstracts, but many will have attached .pdf files of actual technical reports you can download. Already paid-for - you're a taxpayer.

At zero obliquity, and moderate ranges (e.g. 100 yards or so), all the rifle calibers you mention will go through 1/4" - 3/8" of 4130, 4340 or the like, at hardnesses in the 30-35 HRC range. The chance of a zero obliquity impact drops with pipe diameter.

There is a tremendous amount of info available for free from DTIC on armor penetration and all sorts of technical stuff. You may find it a lot cheaper to put a sacrificial L-channel on the exposed side of your piping, to try and shield it, than to make the piping out of something that will defeat a projectile impact.

Good luck - hope this helps.

Regards,
Andrew

 

[cajuncrnvic]

Richard,

I work in the petroleum industry (in the Gulf) what company are you designing this for?

Is there any chance of having an earth berm set around the facility? Not only would this be cheaper, but it probably stop the rounds mentioned, and would also help contain any spills that may occur.

Dustin

 

[Jim K]

Just punching a hole may not be the only effect. When a bullet hits metal and stops or slows significantly, its kinetic energy is converted to heat, creating a small and short term area of white hot metal that could ignite a flammable gas. I would agree with an earth berm around the facility, or at least around sensitive parts. Today, unfortunately, an accidental shot by a hunter might be only part of the potential problem.

I recommend that you obtain sections of the pipe being used and run some actual tests.

Jim

 

[cordex]

I recommend that you obtain sections of the pipe being used and run some actual tests.

And bring a camera and share the results with THR. Fun for all!

 

[M99M12]

What four rules?