Electrothermal-Chemical Propulsion and Performance Limits for the 120-mm, M256 Cannon

Abstract

Electrothermal-chemical (ETC) propulsion and potential performance for the M256, 120-mm cannon are examined. The upper performance limit for this cannon is about 15 MJ of projectile muzzle energy. The study also indicates that the most effective use of electrical energy in ETC propulsion is pressure profile control. The addition of electrical energy simply to augment the total energy results in a low (<20%) transfer of energy to the projectile.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 1991
Accession Number
ADA241552

Entities

People

  • Kevin J. White
  • William F. Oberle

Organizations

  • Ballistic Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Base Pressure
  • Combustion
  • Combustion Products
  • Displacement
  • Electric Power
  • Energetic Materials
  • Energy
  • Kinetic Energy
  • Materials
  • Molecular Weight
  • Muzzle Velocity
  • Pressure Gradients
  • Projectiles
  • Propellants
  • Solid Propellants
  • Specific Heat
  • Weapons

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Energy Conservation and Renewable Energy Engineering.
  • Systems Analysis and Design
  • ballistics.