Mechanical–thermal–chemical coupled modeling techniques and numerical simulation methods for the firearm igniting process

Abstract

AbstractThe firing and ignition of firearms is a complex process involving the coupled effects of mechanical, thermal, and chemical mechanisms. The theoretical modeling and numerical simulation methods for primer mixture impact and ignition process are investigated to reveal the response patterns of characteristic variables, such as primer output pressure and the crater on the primer cup that forms when the firing pin strikes the primer to ignite the primer mixture. Theoretical models such as the elastoplastic mechanical response of the primer mixture, the pore collapse hot spot model, and the Lee‐Tarver ignition and growth model are established by studying the impact response, the initiation mechanism, the hot spot formation mechanism, and the energy release mechanism of the primer mixture. Constitutive models of the primer mixture and the primer cup material are established based on a dynamic compression test of the primer mixture under passive confining pressure and a quasi‐static tensile test of the primer cup material. A numerical model of the primer mixture impact and ignition performance is constructed by using ANSYS LS‐DYNA software. The simulation parameters are serially simulated and calibrated through the 3D total Lagrange algorithm. The firing and ignition response process of a small‐caliber firearm is simulated with the 3D Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE) algorithm. The relative error between the simulated results and the test results is below 15 %, which validates the feasibility of the numerical simulation methods for the firing and ignition performances of firearms.