CHARACTERIZATION OF THE M1020 IGNITION CARTRIDGE UNDER SIMULATED MORTAR FIRING CONDITIONS

摘要

The objective of this study was to investigate the combustion processes of a 120-mm mortar propulsion system under realistic firing conditions for advancing model simulation and performance improvements. Two test rigs were designed to characterize the combustion behavior of the M1020 ignition cartridge alone and with additional aligned and unaligned charge increments. In order to deduce the mass and energy fluxes out of the vent holes, monitor flame spreading through the granular propellant bed, and observe the pressure distribution along the tail boom, tests were conducted on 65∞ elevated tail booms and in an instrumented high-pressure mortar chamber simulator. Results showed that heat-transfer and fluid-flow processes from the discharging combustion products were multi-dimensional, resulting in transverse flame spreading through the granular bed. Also, highly non-uniform radial distributions of pressure near the fins were detected when the charge increments were loaded in an aligned direction, resulting in undesirable fin blade damage.