ARMAMENT RESEARCH - GUN GAS CONTROL TECHNOLOGY

RAPID-FIRE, HIGH VELOCITY GUN SYSTEMS ARE SUBJECT TO PROBLEMS SUCH AS EXCESSIVE MUZZLE PRESSURE, BLAST, AND SECONDARY FLASH. THESE PROBLEMS OCCUR BECAUSE NEARLY SEVENTY PERCENT OF THE PROPELLANT CHEMICAL ENERGY, REMAINS IN THE GAS IN THE FORM OF THERMAL AND KINETIC ENERGY. THE AFOREMENTIONED PROBLEMS ARE A DIRECT RESULT OF THIS ABUNDANCE OF HOT, HIGH-PRESSURE GAS THAT IS RAPIDLY VENTED FROM THE BARREL. THE KEY TO ALLEVIATING THIS PROBLEM IS TO DIVERT GAS FROM THE BARREL SO THAT THE GAS CONDITIONS AT THE BARREL EXIST HAVE BEEN EXPANDED TO LOWER PRESSURE, REDUCED TEMPERATURE AND LESS OVERALL KINETIC ENERGY. THE DIVERTED GAS IS THEN DISPERSED SEPARATELY SO THAT THE VOLUME AND, THEREFORE, THE ENERGY DENSITY OF THE EXHAUST GAS IS DECREASED TO LEVELS THAT ELIMINATE SEVERE BLAST AND FLASH. VERITAY PROPOSESD TO DEVELOP THE METHODOLOGY FOR PREDICTING FLOW CONDITIONS, PROBLEM ASSESSMENT, AND DESIGN DEVELOPMENT. FOUR DESIGN CONCEPTS WILL BE FORMULATED AND EVALUATED, THREE THAT DIVERT GAS AT THE MUZZLE AND THE OTHER THAT DIVERTS GAS AT THE BREECH. THE MOST PROMISING AND WORKABLE CONCEPT WILL BE SELECTED FOR EXPERIMENTAL DEVELOPMENT DURING PHASE II.