Summary Report of the Summer Conference of the DARPA-Materials Research Council Held in La Jolla, California on 6-30 July 1987
Abstract
The purpose of this workshop was to examine the application of advanced materials to guns and gun barrels. Focus was primarily placed on increasing barrel lifetimes while increasing muzzle velocity and rate-of-fire. The available knowledge-base on gun barrel erosion and failure was reviewed and the utility of composite barrels examined. Specific emphasis was placed on thermal and stress modeling to calculate temperature profiles and stress distributions. Computer programs were developed by the MRC members and collaborators for this purpose. Calculations were carried out for composite barrels with different ceramic liners and 4340 low alloy steel jackets. It was found that erosion and cracking problems could be greatly alleviated by a judicious selection of materials combinations and barred construction, with the ceramic liner initially shrunk fit, as elaborated below. A 75mm diameter, high velocity cannon with a wall thickness of 25mm was used in the calculations. Ceramic insert thicknesses of up to 5mm were chosen. The preliminary conclusions, based on the analysis conducted by the MRC, concern conditions and materials that inhibit bore erosion and liner cracking. The jacket system has yet to be systematically investigates. The implications appear to be intuitively reasonable and are as follows: Keywords: Composites, Diamond like materials, High speed circuits, Instrumentation, Numerical simulation, Superconducting materials, Non linear optical materials.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1987
- Accession Number
- ADA192205
Entities
People
- M. J. Sinnott
Organizations
- University of Michigan