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RDX Based Enhanced Energy Propellant for Tank Gun Ammunition
Author(s) -
Jaiswal Garima,
Shaikh Munis A. R.,
Shelar Sunil D.,
Ramavath Vijayalakshmi,
Roy Subhankar
Publication year - 2020
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.201900250
Subject(s) - propellant , ammunition , muzzle velocity , internal ballistics , materials science , nitrocellulose , chamber pressure , ballistics , projectile , nuclear engineering , plasticizer , composite material , thermal stability , muzzle , thermal energy , aerospace engineering , engineering , chemistry , chemical engineering , thermodynamics , barrel (horology) , physics , biochemistry , membrane , metallurgy
Ammunition designers are faced now a day with the tasks of improving muzzle velocity (MV) to achieve required penetration as well as developing gun propellant with minimum variation of ballistics at extremes of temperatures so as to maintain safe chamber pressure of gun. In order to meet the requirement an optimized propellant composition containing RDX, energetic plasticizer, nitrocellulose (NC), cellulose acetate (CA) and additives referred as Enhanced Energy Propellant (EEP) was processed and evaluated theoretically and experimentally. Performance in respect of ballistic parameters (static and dynamic), sensitivity, thermal characteristics, thermal stability and mechanical properties were evaluated and compared with that of the conventional triple base propellant (TBP). Experimental data on comparative study indicated that the newly developed EEP is superior to existing TBP in terms of energy, stability and thermal properties while sustaining the safe chamber pressure of gun. Dynamic firing results show that, EEP requires lower charge mass (7.43 kg) and lesser chamber pressure (459 MPa) to realize MV at par with standard. This illustrates high energy of EEP.