SUM 1 - Weapon Design Flashcards
What Material was used to make early gun barrels?
Bronze
What did Colonel Boxer develop?
Boxer Fuze
The Martini Henry rifle suffered from two major issues. What were they?
-Extraction issues due to weak cartridge cases
-Excessive fouling due the black powder charge
List three early methods of rifling.
-Oval bore
-Lead coated projectile
-Hexagonal Barrel and Projectile
What is the Macquarie Concise Dictionary definition of Ammunition?
All the material used in discharging all types of firearms or any weapon that throws projectiles, shot, shrapnel, bullets, cartridges
and the means of igniting and exploding them, as primers and fuzes
Chemicals, bombs, grenades, mines and pyrotechnics are also ammunition.
List five tasks of an in-direct fire system.
-Suppression
-Neutralisation
-Destruction
-Harassment
-Illumination
-Interdiction
-Counter-battery fire (CBF)
-Coordination of fires
What are the design features of a conventional mortar?
Smooth bore
Muzzle Loading
No Recoil Mechanisms
Restricted to firing above 450
Cannot be fired in direct fire role
List three advantages to a mortar.
-Large rate of fire in a small amount of time
-High level of mobility
-Lethality against unprotected troops
-Low velocity
-Simple and inexpensive
-Easy to operate
-Silent in flight
-Light weight
-Easy to dig in and conceal
What is the definition of a Free Flight Rocket (FFR)?
open ended tube that allows gasses to escape propelling the rocket forward ( every action has an equal reaction ), rocket is unable to change its flight path once it exits the tube.
What does the term direct fire refer to?
-Direct fire refers to the launching of a projectile directly at a target within the line of sight of the firer
What are the five basic requirements of artillery?
-Range
-Ammunition
-Accuracy consistency
-Mobility
-Protection
List the three most common natures of ammunition used by artillery.
-High explosive
-Smoke
-Illumination
What are the three fuze functions available for High Explosive artillery projectiles?
-Point detonating
-Air Burst
-Delay
What are the two means by which ammunition designers use to increase the range of a projectile without altering the weapon system?
-Improve the Ballistic Coefficiency of projectile
-Provide the projectile with some form of post firing boost
What are the two methods of post firing boost used by designers of projectiles?
-Base bleed
-Rocket assist
What is the disadvantage of a fixed propellant charge at short ranges?
Consistency to hit a target varies due to a number of reasons. What are they?
-Muzzle velocity
-Ballistic coefficient
-Weather conditions
-Laying, ramming and wear of the gun
What are High Explosive (HE) projectiles designed to achieve?
-Disperse high velocity fragments
-Effect is accompanied by blast
-Maximum crater effect.
What is smoke designed to achieve on the battlefield?
-Blind the enemy observation and inhibit the use of aimed direct fire and observed indirect fire
-Screen movements of troops from enemy
-Marking targets for engagements by other weapon systems
What is the difference between a carriage and a mount?
-Carriage is when the weapon is fired with the wheels in contact with the ground.
-Mount is when the weapon is fired with the mount in contact with the ground.
Name two functions of the carriage or mount?
-distributes recoil into the ground
-assists in moving and repositioning the weapon system as required
The saddle and the cradle are parts of the superstructure of a gun. Name three others
-Recoil system
-Balancing gear
-Elevating/traversing/sights
What is one of the functions of the cradle?
-The cradle provides movement in the vertical plane in relation to the saddle
-The function is to support the ordnance and recoil mechanism
-The cradle is fitted with trunnions that are housed in bearings on the saddle and held down by cap squares
What function does the recuperator perform on a gun?
The recuperator performs the role repositioning the barrel to resume firing
Name four parts that make up the basic structure of a gun?
-wheels and axels
-breaks
-recuperator
-saddle mount
What four components make up a conventional medium mortar?
tube / barrel
base plate
Bipod
sight
What ignites the augmenting cartridges in a conventional mortar system?
Primary cartridge
What is the Charge/Weight Ratio (CWR) of a modern High Explosive (HE) mortar bomb?
20% or greater
The fragmentation of HE mortar bombs can be influenced in two ways. What are they?
The material of the bomb wall may be produced in a metal that has good fragmentation qualities, or the bomb wall may be made from a relatively flimsy material that is lined with pre-cast fragments
light skin - frag infill
heavy skin - hot molten frag
Why is it more difficult to incorporate safe arming mechanisms into mortar fuzes than into gun ammunition?
Mortar fuzes are designed to arm themselves on the acceleration that occurs in the barrel, and this force is applied for less than 10 ms. The setback force that is required to arm a mortar fuze is a great deal less than the force required to arm a shell fuze
Explain windage.
-The calibre of a mortar bomb must be considerably less than that of the tube from which it is to be fired, otherwise it could not be loaded.
-For the bomb to drop straight to the bottom of the barrel without being supported on a cushion of air there must be a gap between the outer wall of the bomb and the inner wall of the tube.
What are the raised surfaces of the rifling called?
Lands
What term is used to describe the diameter of the bore excluding the depth of the lands?
Calibre
What is “shot start pressure”?
Shot start pressure is the pressure at which the projectile is moved forward
How can the life of a barrel be extended?
-Cooler burning propellants
-Barrel cooling techniques
-Bore surface materials
Firing mechanisms are classified into three groups by their mode of operation. What are they?
-Percussion
-Electric
-Percussion and Electric
