Interior ballistics: Form functions and experimental determination of gun propellant ballistic properties

Authors:

  • Sten Andreasson

Publish date: 2018-03-05

Report number: FOI-R--4502--SE

Pages: 30

Written in: Swedish

Keywords:

  • interior ballistics
  • internal ballistics
  • gun
  • fire arm
  • modeling
  • computation
  • simulation
  • propellant
  • grain
  • form function
  • progressive
  • progressivity
  • multi-perf
  • propellant properties
  • combustion
  • burn rate
  • burn rate equation
  • impetus
  • force
  • co-volume

Abstract

This report treats geometrical form functions of gun propellants and experimental estimation of propellant properties, such as impetus, co-volume, and burn rate. Form functions for simple geometries are presented and for multi-perforated grains the dependence of progressivity (area gain during combustion) on geometric dimensions is shown. Some geometries are compared and the influence of manufacturing tolerances is estimated. The method of the NATO STANAG 4115 for experimental determination of impetus, co-volume and burn rate is applied to closed-vessel test-firings.