An Analysis of 5,56mm Aluminum Cartridge Case Burn-Through Phenomenon

Abstract

This work was aimed at understanding the 'burn-through' problem that has impeded orderly engineering development and application of aluminum alloy cartridge cases in high-performance ammunition since the 1890's. It has been shown that a gas path through the wall of an aluminum case, and through which propellant gas can flow during the internal ballistic cycle, is a precursor to the 'burn-through' phenomenon. Solutions to this problem have been found that either prevent propellent gas flow through a path in the case that develops unintentionally during firing of the ammunition, or alter the effect of propellant gas flow through such a gas path. Since an engineering understanding of the 'burn-through' phenomenon is available, work is currently underway to demonstrate the feasibility of aluminum cartridge cases.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1972
Accession Number
AD0750379

Entities

People

  • Reed E. Donnard
  • Walter H. Squire

Organizations

  • Frankford Arsenal

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aluminum Alloys
  • Ammunition
  • Boundary Layer
  • Cartridge Cases
  • Combustion
  • Energy Transfer
  • Engineering
  • Equations
  • Exothermic Reactions
  • Fluid Flow
  • Fluid Mechanics
  • Free Stream
  • Gas Flow
  • Heat Flux
  • Heat Transfer
  • Mach Number
  • Thermodynamics

Readers

  • Combustion and Flow Dynamics.
  • Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) Technology.
  • Systems Analysis and Design