Experimental Study on Motion Law of the Fragment at Hypersonic Speed

Abstract

As a damage element, high-speed fragments have a significant effect on the ammunition safety. The impact from the fragments are also one of the basic problems of ammunition safety tests. To clarify the reaction characteristics of combustion, explosion, detonation, and so on, when hypersonic fragments hit insensitive munitions, it is necessary to carry out corresponding research on the deceleration law of hypersonic fragment in the air. In this paper, a 30 mm caliber gun with large chamber, small caliber, and large aspect ratio is proposed to drive high-speed fragments. According to STANAG 4496 standard, a near-cylinder steel fragment with Brinell hardness HB ≤ 270 and mass of 18.6 g was designed. The test system was composed of zone interception velocity measurement, chamber pressure sensor, trajectory tracking system, high-speed camera, and other equipment were also established to obtain the pressure variations in the chamber, the velocity of the fragment, and its flight orientation. From the video taken by the high-speed camera and trajectory tracking system, the fragment and the projectile sabot achieve effective separation after the fragment travels out of the muzzle. As time goes on, the distance between the fragment and the projectile sabot gradually increases. The fragment is always in the front of the sabot and steadily flies to the target. The muzzle velocity of the fragment is controlled by adjusting the propellant charge, and the flight velocity in the air is measured by the zone interception velocity measuring device in the range of 5 Ma to 7 Ma. The theoretical models of fragment deceleration and the models of flight orientation are also established according to the experimental data. On this basis, F test and least square nonlinear regression fitting were used to analyze experimental data. Finally, the deceleration coefficient of quasi-cylindrical fragments between 5 Ma and 7 Ma stipulated in STANAG 4496 standard is 0.009312, and the average drag coefficient in air is 1.109.