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Flash Tube Lacquer Seal Dynamic Rupture Strength in 30‐mm Ammunition
Author(s) -
Howard Stephen L.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
propellants, explosives, pyrotechnics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.56
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1521-4087
pISSN - 0721-3115
DOI - 10.1002/prep.200300013
Subject(s) - propellant , ignition system , tube (container) , materials science , flash (photography) , projectile , cabin pressurization , ammunition , lacquer , cartridge , composite material , mechanics , forensic engineering , engineering , aerospace engineering , physics , optics , metallurgy , coating
The M788, M789, and M799 30‐mm ammunition use a flash tube to augment the ignition stimulus of the primer and to provide an ignition source for the propellant bed in each round. The flash tube must be fast acting, provide abundant hot gases/particles, and increase the pressure in the propellant bed sufficiently so that the initial burn rate of the propellant in the bed is high enough to propel the projectile to the muzzle within the few milliseconds that constitute the action time of the M230 cannon. This investigation studied the dynamic rupture pressure of the lacquer seal on the flash tube. The rupture pressure of the seal was found to be a function of the pressurization rate in the flash tube. At the largest rupture pressure of this study (78 MPa), significant gas generation would be achieved before the flash tube vented into the main propellant bed. Gas flow at these pressures is expected to play a significant role in ignition of the main propellant charge and rapid functioning of the round.