Simulation study on erosion of barrel under thermal-mechanical-chemical coupling environment

Abstract

Artillery is known as the “God of War”. When the ballistic performance of the barrel is reduced to the allowable value specified by the index due to erosion and wear, the life of the barrel is terminated, and the artillery equipment completely loses its combat effectiveness. The erosion and wear of the barrel involves many factors such as temperature, mechanics, chemistry. In this paper, based on the theory of internal ballistics and heat conduction, the temperature gradient distribution law of the inner wall of the barrel during the firing process of large-caliber artillery is simulated and calculated. Combined with Fick’s second law and the theory of metal phase transition, The relationship between the [C] content in the thermochemically affected layer of the barrel and the number of firing, the relationship between the thickness of the thermally affected layer and the explosion temperature of the propellant and the temperature of the inner wall were quantitatively analyzed. On this basis, the anatomical analysis of different parts of the barrel after firing verified the accuracy of the erosion model, quantitatively revealed the barrel erosion mechanism, and clarified the direction for the life improvement of large-caliber artillery barrels.