English

DTIC ADA095342: Charge Design Considerations and Their Effect on Pressure Waves in Guns

Combustion instability, usually manifested as longitudinal pressure waves, has long been a serious problem in the design of high-performance, conventional guns. The source of this phenomenon was identified correctly to lie in the ignition phase of the interior ballistic cycle. Only recently, however, has it been understood that the ignition phase not only involves functioning of the igniter train components themselves but also depends on such factors as distribution of ullage, flow restrictions, and propellant bed mobility. The concepts of local as well as microscopic gas permeability have been shown to be important factors governing the formation, growth, and dissipation of pressure waves. High gas generation rates during the ignition and flamespreading phase, as defined by both burning surface and linear burning rates, also lead to increased levels of traveling pressure waves. The integration of these concepts into two-phase-flow interior ballistic codes now is beginning to allow a more precise unraveling of the interaction among these complex processes.

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