NUMERICAL MODELLING OF THE TEMPERATURE DISTRIBUTION IN A 155 MM ARTILLERY BARREL DURING OPERATIONAL RATE OF FIRE

Abstract

The rate of fire of a 155 mm artillery gun is one of the more strategic parameters to achieve the superiority on the battlefield. However, significant safety risks may arise due to the overheating weapon such as propellant cook-off or projectile exudation. Depending on the number of rounds fired, during a sequence, the chamber surface temperature could reach an undesirable condition known as the cook-off temperature of the propellant resulting in its premature and unintended ignition in the barrel. Using a detailed interior ballistic calculation as input parameters, the heat flux is derived from different hot gas friction model for various firing sequences. The thermal problem is then solved using COMSOL Multiphysics with a PARADISO time-dependent solver and the results obtained for the different heat transfer model are compared for various axial position. This preliminary work is a first step towards the development of a comprehensive model. The results demonstrate the ability of the model to accurately predict temperature distribution within the barrel and aim for validation against high cadence firing scenarios. Furthermore, this thermal model is easily transposable to other medium or large caliber guns.