Thermomechanical Analysis of TiO2 Wax Blend Used in Wear-Reducing Liners
Abstract
Chamber residue collects in the 155-mm M185 howitzer after repeated firings of the zone 8S, XM203E1 charge, conditioned at 336K. The residue does not appear with charges conditioned at ambient temperatures. One hypothesis for the residue is that the TiO2 wax blend softens and splatters on the chamber wall to which unburned fragments stick. As part of the laboratory experiments run in conjunction with gun firing tests by the Large Caliber Weapons Systems Laboratory to isolate and eliminate the cause of residue, thermomechanical analysis was done on the TiO2 wax blend to see if the softening temperature was lowered under pressure. Without external pressure, the blend softened at 338K, near the 347K melting temperature of the wax which is also near the maximum conditioning temperature of 336K. Under external loading with a 100 gram mass, the softening temperature was reduced to 300K. These experiments suggest a wax melting above 380K may prove to be a remedy for the residue problem. Subsequent testing by the LCWSL showed that the residue was significantly reduced when a higher-melting wax was used in the TiO2 wax blend.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1979
- Accession Number
- ADA072810
Entities
People
- J. Richard Ward
- Michael T. Mocella
Organizations
- Ballistic Research Laboratory