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INTRODUCTION Confronted with problems associated with the continual upgrading of field guns, reducing the number of different items in supply and lowering overall costs, the Department of the Army has need for improved methods of reducing erosion and extending the wear life of long range cannon. The National Materials Advisory Board was asked to consider all facets of this need and to make recommendations. OBJECTIVES The objectives of this report are to make an assessment of the nature of the bore erosion problem; to identify fruitful areas of research; to assess the state of technology of materials and methods in areas which may become significant to gun tubes of improved performance; to suggest experimental techniques, devices, and instruments and methods of reducing data; to enhance the continuing coordina- tion of the activities of the three Services; if feasible, to concentrate on a large weapon such as the 8 inch M110E2 gun system in order to suggest helpful short- range solutions in addition to possible long-range solutions. DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS While the problem of gun erosion has to some measure been alleviated, there is no implicit assurance that future gun systems will have acceptable wear life. This is particularly true if such systems reach for higher projectile veloci- ties at higher chamber pressure with new propellant formulations. Anticipating that this will surely happen, the need for a better understanding of the mechanism of gun erosion is apparent. It is evident that erosion of gun tubes is not a simple problem; cutting across the sciences of metallurgy, chemistry, physics, and mechanics. Any future effort should be constructed to recognize the multidisciplinary nature of the problem, both in planning and in direction. In the course of conducting this task the Committee was impressed by the number of separate and varied investigations and tests that have been performed.
