Comparisons of Fiber Tube Ammunition Container Variants for Moisture Permeability and Absorption
Abstract
The U.S. Army currently packs certain ammunition in its standard wax-impregnated fiber containers. Unfortunately, these containers are not entirely satisfactory. The wax inside the fiber container melts and exudes out under extremely hot conditions and deposits on the cartridge which can lead to malfunctions. Other, unwaxed fiber containers (e.g., those used to pack 120 mm tank ammunition) sometimes absorb and may be permeable to water or water vapor. This causes several problems: the tube may swell, making it difficult to remove the round; metal parts in the shell may corrode; and explosive stabilizers may deteriorate. Therefore, an urgent task was initiated to develop a new container that ameliorates these problems by minimizing moisture penetration. A number of modifications to the existing container have been identified, including five different types of container exterior coatings, an additional construction material in the container wall laminate, and two mechanical closure types. This document describes a testing program conducted to provide quantitative comparisons of the moisture permeability of containers with these alternatives to the permeability of nontreated (without exterior coating) containers. Mortar, 81 mm, Cartridge, Fiber container, Wax-impregnated, Latch system, Plastic-laminated, Permeability, Moisture, Coating, Ammunition, Comparison.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 01, 1993
- Accession Number
- ADA273234
Entities
People
- J. V. Draper
- V. Khanna
- Y. H. Lam
Organizations
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory