Measurement of in-bore side loads and comparison to first maximum yaw

• Main Authors: Donald E. Carlucci, Ryan Decker, Julio Vega, Douglas Ray
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. 2016-04-01
• Series: Defence Technology
• Subjects: Ballistics; Balloting; First maximum yaw; Muzzle exit; Muzzle wear; Projectile dynamics
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214914715000859

In-bore yaw of a projectile in a gun tube has been shown to result in range loss if the yaw is significant. An attempt was made to determine if relationships between in-bore yaw and projectile First Maximum Yaw (FMY) were observable. Experiments were conducted in which pressure transducers were mounted near the muzzle of a 155 mm cannon in three sets of four. Each set formed a cruciform pattern to obtain a differential pressure across the projectile. These data were then integrated to form a picture of what the overall pressure distribution was along the side of the projectile. The pressure distribution was used to determine a magnitude and direction of the overturning moment acting on the projectile. This moment and its resulting angular acceleration were then compared to the actual first maximum yaw observed in the test. The degree of correlation was examined using various statistical techniques. Overall uncertainty in the projectile dynamics was between 20% and 40% of the mean values of FMY.