Flow Visualization of Steady and Transient Combustion in a 12O-mm Ram Accelerator.

Abstract

A technique to visualize transient and steady combustion phenomena in ram accelerators using sacrificial transparent acrylic chambers is demonstrated. This technique allows the normal operating environment of ram accelerators to be very closely approximated. Using this technique, details of the environment during the transient starting phase as the projectile enters the accelerator and the obtrurator is discarded are seen for the first time. In addition, steady or running combustion around the projectile after the obtrurator has been shed is captured. These flow visualizations are shown to be useful in validating computational fluid dynamics codes and in providing guidance in reducing projectile unstarts while increasing initial accelerator performance.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 1996
Accession Number
ADA309170

Entities

People

  • D. Kruczynski
  • F. Liberatore
  • Joshua Hewitt
  • M. Kiwan

Organizations

  • United States Army Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Combustion
  • Computational Fluid Dynamics
  • Computational Science
  • Dynamics
  • Environment
  • Flow
  • Flow Visualization
  • Fluid Dynamics
  • Fluid Mechanics
  • Guidance
  • Large Eddy Simulation
  • Projectiles
  • Ram Accelerators
  • Visualizations

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Combustion and Flow Dynamics.
  • Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
  • ballistics.