Gun Tube Wear/Erosion Prevention Using Combustion-Synthesized, Functionally-Graded Materials

Substantial operational savings and cost reduction can be met for gun barrels and liners with development of materials, processes and/or components/equipment that exhibit wear and erosion protection characteristics greatly improved over current materials and methods. Utilizing self-propagating, high-temperature synthesis (SHS) techniques, functionally-graded property, gun barrel/liner production methods will be identified and tube samples fabricated which eliminate current ceramic or refractory metal liner interfacial, thermal/mechanical failure mechanisms. The methodology may have the potential to produce a complete monolithic gun barrel structure exhibiting transitional material property changes from bore-to-barrel. The specific technical objective of Phase I indude: (1) identification of materials and processing techniques consistent with SHS processing capabilities which span the thermal/mechanical performance requirements from the bore to the barrel as a single, composite matrix structure (i.e. functionally-graded material), (2) design and build the necessary SHS processing support hardware to demonstrate fabrication of tube-like samples with an overall objective of producing up to 150 mm diameter tube segments for subsequent material property evaluation, (3) perform base-line, thermal/mechanical tests on the samples to verify the extent to which functional-gradation has been achieved, and (4) define advanced property and material performance test methods consistent with functionally-graded materials and in an appropriately-simulated in-bore environment. BENEFITS: Benefits include material process development for gun barrels and liners which may substantially improve the life-cycle economics for the Army on these important components. In the private, commercial sector the results from the work will directly apply to pipe and tube coating for protection against erosion, wear and corrosion in the power, petrochemical and waste processing industries