Investigation of combustion process in a modular charge system with a primer gap

Abstract

To clarify the combustion process of a modular charge system with a primer gap, the rules governing the cartridge movement and pressure change in the chamber are analyzed. Based on the characteristics of the modular charge system, an axisymmetric two-phase flow model of the interior ballistics is established, with the monotonic upward-centered scheme for conservation laws adopted to calculate the combustion process. Compared with the experimental results, the difference in the peak pressure is less than 5%, which indicates that the mathematical model and scheme are reliable and accurate. The results show that, during the initial stage of ignition, the combustible container remains unbroken, and the gas and solid particles are prevented from spreading to the chamber by the end cap of the cartridge. Thus, only the gas inside the igniter tube influences the flow field in the chamber. After the combustible container has broken, the gas and solid particles move rapidly toward the cavity from the combustible container. The axial movement of solid particles is more intense than that of the gas particles, but the radial movement of solid particles is relatively weak. Furthermore, the existence of the primer gap leads to a delay in the ignition time of the solid particles, which delays the rupture time of the igniter tube and the module cartridge.