Penetration Process
A specific characteristic is the penetration of the rod into the armor:
The small cross-sectional area of about 5 cm square of the rod can not
transfer the enormous impact energy (similar to a main battle tank with
a velocity of 60 km per hour) directly to the armor. Armor and rod
material are overloaded with a multiple of their strength properties
and under this enormous pressure they behave like liquids. The rod
material flows off mushroom-shaped and the target material is displaced
together with the rod material out of the penetration channel. The tip
of the rod penetrates continuously the armor with a little more than
the half of the impact velocity, while the tail moves practically with
an undamped velocity. During the penetration the rod becomes continually
shorter. If the remaining rod reaches the inside of the armor, it causes
together with many fragments of the armor fatal damages.