Temperature Sensitivity of Propellant Combustion and Temperature Coefficients of Gun Performance

One of the objectives of gun propellant research is to develop green formulations of gunpowder that should be less temperature sensitive than the current gun propellant. The temperature sensitivity of these new green formulations of the propellant should be measured to identify the less temperature sensitive green formulations. However, there are deficiencies in the methodologies for the measurement of the temperature sensitivity of gun propellants. Therefore, the aim of this investigation was to fill the gap by establishing a method for the measurement of the temperature sensitivity of deterred gun propellants by closed vessel tests. The temperature sensitivity of the burning rate of ball propellants and the temperature coefficients of gun performance were determined using closed vessel tests and ballistic firing, respectively. Specific definitions of temperature sensitivity and temperature coefficients were evaluated. The relation between these parameters has never been explicitly investigated previously. Assessing the temperature sensitivity of propellants by closed vessel tests is of added value to the range of ballistic tests if the results of these tests can be well correlated to the results of ballistic firings. Therefore, a comparison between both parameters was made. A correspondence has been observed between the temperature sensitivity of the propellant burning rate, as obtained from closed vessel tests, and the temperature coefficients as obtained from ballistic firings.