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Erosion in Large Gun Barrels Report of Committee on Gun Tube Erosion (1975) / Chapter Skim
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MECHANISMS OF GUN BARREL EROSION
Pages 36-40

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From page 36...
... A gun barrel is subject to high temperatures and temperature gradients high pressures reactive gases thermal and mechanical shock cyclic stresses of thermal and mechanical origin high gas velocities high velocity sliding contact This gives rise to a large number of possible mechanisms for the loss of material generally referred to as gun barrel erosion. The problem is unusually difficult because the chief mechanism or combination of mechanisms undoubtedly changes when any of the elements of the gun system are changed, such as the size or range of the gun.
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From page 37...
... The entrainment of solid particles of combustion or of solid wear particles in the high velocity gas stream will augment the gas erosion process. The projectile is in solid sliding contact with the barrel as it moves forward and
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From page 38...
... for a given gun system and then subsequently changing those items having the greatest influence on that type of difficulty. If temperature is demonstrated to be the nature of the problem then possible sources of improvement would involve improved additives, a cooler burning propellant, spray internal cooling following firing or by use of a more refractory material in the form of an improved material, a sleeve or a coating applied at the breech end or throughout the length of the barrel.
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From page 39...
... If chemical action is thought to be the source of the difficulty this might be demonstrated by introducing an ingredient into the propellant charge known to increase chemical action, and noting the relative change in the rate of erosion. Tests such as those just described should be run on the full scale prototype system, since at the present time it does not appear possible to translate model studies into those for a full scale gun system.
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From page 40...
... The full scale tests that will always be essential to characterize and correct specific gun barrel erosion difficulties would constitute the short range portion of the program.
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Key Terms

  • barrel erosion
  • model studies
  • chemical action
  • hot gases
  • chemical reaction

  • residual stress
  • wear particles
  • solid particles
  • thermal softening
  • specific gun

  • reactive gases
  • metal surface
  • solid wear
  • scale gun
  • translate model

  • chemical reactions
  • mechanical origin
  • stress surface
  • range model
  • gas erosion

  • gas stream
  • surface melting
  • bore gun
  • including thermal
  • gas velocities

  • gun barrels
  • erosion process
  • surface layer
  • surface stresses
  • increase chemical


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