Real-Time Gun Barrel Monitoring for Current and Future Combat Systems

Helical Ultrasound Tomography (HUT) uses a combination of ultrasonic arrays and expert system software to extract maximum gun barrel condition data from guided waves, including ID erosion, gouging and cracking, and OD cracking. Our systems detected 2%thickness losses and crack growth smaller than 2mm at a 2m distance, and demonstrated it can achieve these results without mechanical scanning in an automated, user independent fashion.The objective of this effort is to build a working field proof-of-concept HUT system, and to determine the limits of detection in real gun barrels.The anticipated result of this effort is a new tool for assessing the condition of the Army's gun inventory in real time, replacing today's statistically based gun retirement protocol with condition-based inventory management. Such a system would extendthe lifetime of existing gun barrels, while also allowing the Army to design future combat system (FCS) gun armaments for maximum performance. In the future, HUT could provide a platform for monitoring gun performance-and not just health-by monitoring gunfirings, blast-wave pressure, and barrel temperature.Anticipated commercial uses include pipe inspection in the electric power, marine propulsion and petrochemical industries.The Phase II effort will result in a field-tested proof-of-concept system for gun condition monitoring. The application of this technology to Army gun barrels will further the commercialization of this technique to other DOD weapon systems as well as tothe monitoring of high-pressure process piping systems; power plant piping in both nuclear and fossil generating stations; underground piping and other valued advances in the commercial sector.