Failure analysis of rotating band under rammed condition for 155MM×52 caliber gun system through finite element simulations

Abstract

The ballistic performance of artillery guns mainly depends on the interaction between rotating band and rifled barrel at the time of ramming and engraving process. This interaction is widely influenced by many important parameters such as ramming velocity, barrel wear and the geometry of rotating band. The experimental investigation on these parameters and their effect on ballistic performance is very costly and time consuming. However, the numerical analysis may provide insights on the deformation behavior. In the present work, artillery gun system with rifled barrel of 155 mm bore diameter is modeled in ABAQUS by developing a Python code. The explicit dynamic finite element (FE) simulations are performed to analyse the plastic deformation and failure of the rotating band. The contact force, developed between rotating band and barrel, prevents the fallback of projectile at elevated angle and confirms the safety of ballistic operation. Thus, it is the most important parameter used to evaluate the ramming process. With this, a required ramming velocity for the worn barrels has been determined to provide a proper ramming condition and to meet the requirement of ramming operation throughout the life of the barrel.