Experimental Measurement of Tailboom Strain During Charge Ignition
Abstract
The evolution of Armor Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot (APFSDS) projectiles has lead to projectiles which protrude substantially into the gun chamber, affecting igniter design, path of flamespread through the charge, and projectile loading. This study focuses on a method of detecting loading of the projectile tailboom during the early phase of the interior ballistic cycle. Using a clear acrylic gun chamber simulator with an instrumented projectile, charge ignition and projectile/charge interactions are observed during the early portion of the ballistic cycle. The projectile tailboom is instrumented with strain gauges to monitor transverse forces. High speed photography and X-rays are used to monitor flame spreading and movement of the charge within the chamber. A microwave interferometer is used to record projectile axial motion. Chamber pressure is monitored with piezoelectric pressure transducers. This report briefly describes the instrumentation and test setup. Data are presented from each test round. These data demonstrate the viability of the strain gage instrumented projectile technique for monitoring projectile/propelling charge interactions during the early portion of the interior ballistic cycle. The initial data are too limited to make general conclusions about the differences in projectile/charge interactions between stick and granular charges, but discernible differences were measured.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1991
- Accession Number
- ADA242069
Entities
People
- Arthur A. Koszoru
- Joseph W. Colburn
Organizations
- Ballistic Research Laboratory