The Development of a Ram Air Decelerator for the Recovery of Artillery Shells

Abstract

Sandia National Laboratories is responsible for the design of recovery systems for atomic artillery shells that are periodically tested by artillery firings. It is desirable to have a recovery system that exhibits a high degree of reliability due to the costs associated with each test shell. A Ram Air Decelerator (RAD) has been investigated as a candidate replacement for the current parachute recovery system. Tests have included proof-of-concept tests on a truck towing rig, non-spinning airdrop tests, spin tests in a high altitude chamber and artillery fired projectile tests. Although testing has to be terminated before the program could be completed, significant strides were made in RAD design for this harsh environment. Possible design improvements were identified for future testing should the program be revived.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1993
Accession Number
ADA278083

Entities

People

  • J. K. Cole
  • Robert H. Croll
  • Vance L. Behr

Organizations

  • Sandia National Laboratories

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Altitude
  • Altitude Chambers
  • Artillery
  • Drag
  • Foreign Languages
  • High Altitude
  • Language
  • Materials
  • Munitions Testing
  • Parachutes
  • Propellants
  • Recovery
  • Reliability
  • Space Sciences
  • Test Methods
  • Test Vehicles
  • Vehicles

Readers

  • Aerodynamics/Aeronautics.
  • Software Engineering
  • ballistics.