Off the Shelf Technology for Gun Barrel Straigntness Measurement

Abstract

Gun barrel straightness is one of several manufacturing variables that must be held to a specified tolerance. Therefore, barrel centerline measurement is a necessity. In the past, centerline measurement techniques have been developed specifically for this application, and production of such machines has been made on a small quantity basis. This paper will describe the application of an off-the-shelf, three-dimensional laser tracker system, manufactured by Spatial Metrix Corporation (SMX), to measure the bore centerline of a 120 mm tank gun barrel. An introduction/tutorial on barrel straightness terminology, coordinate systems, and the level of precision required for such measurements is presented. A side-by-side comparison is then made between the SMX-based measurement and the standard/conventional measurement of several barrel centerlines, with the pros and cons of each system noted.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 26, 2001
Accession Number
ADP012480

Entities

People

  • J. Garner
  • M. Bundy
  • T. Erline
  • T. Marrs

Organizations

  • United States Army Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accuracy
  • Coordinate Systems
  • Data Acquisition
  • Data Processing
  • Data Sets
  • Data Transmission
  • Elevation
  • Gun Barrels
  • Guns
  • Industrial Plants
  • Laser Beams
  • Laser Spots
  • Lasers
  • Measurement
  • Military Research
  • Tank Guns
  • Technical Information Centers

Readers

  • Geodesy
  • Systems Analysis and Design
  • ballistics.

Technology Areas

  • Directed Energy