Application of Nonconventional Materials to Guns and Gun Tubes

摘要

The interaction between gun design and advanced materials as they might be applied to improve guns were reviewed. The gun barrel environment is discussed in terms of possible applicability of ceramics and composites for the gun barrel. Prospects for lightening gun mounts, such as by the use of composites, are also considered. Among the conclusions reached are that new materials will be needed to cope with the extreme and abusive environment of a gun barrel. The new materials will require new design concepts. Erosion in gun barrels is a complex, poorly understood phenomenon. Similarly, the erosion-resistant capabilities of alternate materials are known. Ceramics have potential as liners, but they have the limitation that they must always be kept in compression to avoid fracture. It is premature to state that this can be achieved, since no comprehensive analysis exists that accounts for all thermal and mechanical loading in a multi-material gun tube. Both polymer- and metal-matrix composites are regarded as unsuitable for tubes, but they could be used with advantage in mounts, particularly in large-caliber guns.