Initial Studies of Gun Tube Erosion Macroscopic Surface Kinetics
Abstract
Current theories concerning gun tube erosion consider that erosion can occur under various conditions. The worst condition occurs when the melting temperature of the gun steel is exceeded for the tube's inner surface. This causes the tube to grossly melt This melt wipe mechanism is not as simple as once thought because the propellant product gases are known to read with the surface, resulting in an altered surface material. This altered material may have a lower melting temperature than that of the gun steel and/or weakened mechanical properties. Previous surface reaction studies by the authors used a generalized equilibrium scheme with a control volume analysis to represent surface reactions occurring during a cannon firing. This led to a postreaction treatment at the interface which incorporated the subsurface diffusion of species to limit the surface reaction. In this study, the surface reactions and rates are specified explicitly with published rates and guidance from fundamental molecular modeling results. The results demonstrate the utility of the surface reaction mechanism presently employed and the incorporation of finite rate surface kinetics in the fundamental physical representation of erosion.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 2001
- Accession Number
- ADA392755
Entities
People
- Cary Chabalowski
- Michael J. Nusca
- Paul J. Conroy
- William R. Anderson
Organizations
- United States Army Research Laboratory