Summative - Weapon Design Flashcards
History of Explosives - T of O
What are the ingredients of Greek?
Naphtha, Sulphur and Pitch.
History of Explosives - T of O
What are the main ingredients of the Chinese gunpowder mixture?
Saltpetre , Sulphur and Charcoal
History of Explosives - T of O
What was Roger Bacons importance in regard to the
development of explosives?
He described the composition of gunpowder and
experimented to improve it’s quality and explosive power.
History of Explosives - T of O
Gunpowder Grains loaded in a gun had sufficient room between them for what purpose?
To allow the flash to reach them all at the same time.
History, Development of Weapons & Ammunition - T of O
Name the 3 early methods of rifling?
Hexagonal Barrel and Projectile Oval Bore Studded Projectile Vavasseur's Driving Band Lead Coated Projectile
History, Development of Weapons & Ammunition - T of O
When the cast iron barrels become
prevalent?
16th Century
History, Development of Weapons & Ammunition - T of O
Who designed the first modern combustion
time fuze?
Colonel Boxer
History, Development of Weapons & Ammunition - T of O
Why were trunnions an important
improvement to weapons?
Absorbed some of the recoil shock
Allowed the gun to be raised and lowered for
firing
History, Development of Weapons & Ammunition - T of O
Who invented the Breech Loading Gun?
Sir William Armstrong
History, Development of Weapons & Ammunition - T of O
Who is credited with the concept of a gun?
The monk Black Berthold (Berthold Schwartz)
History, Development of Weapons & Ammunition
The first barrels/ cannons where made of what?
Bronze
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.
Hexagonal Barrel and Projectile Vavasseur’s driving band Lead coated projectile Woolwich rifling Oval bore French rifling
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
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)?
A tube open at one end in which fuel is burnt, the gases from the burning fuel escape out of the
opened end
The momentum of escaping gases causing an equal and opposite reaction on the closed end
The projectile flight path cannot be changed
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?
Protection, Range, Mobility, Ammunition, Accuracy & Consistency
List the three most common natures of ammunition used by artillery.
Smoke, Illumination, High Explosive
What are the two means by which ammunition designers use to increase the range of a projectile without altering the weapon system?
- Ballistic Coefficiency
* Post firing boost
What are the two methods of post firing boost used by designers of projectiles?
Rocket assist and Base Bleed
What is the disadvantage of a fixed propellant charge at short ranges?
In mountainous terrain the trajectory may be too
flat to reach down behind hills or into valleys
Consistency to hit a target varies due to a number of reasons. What are they?
Laying, ramming, and barrel wear
Weather conditions
Muzzle velocity
Ammunition Coefficiency
What are High Explosive (HE) projectiles designed to achieve?
Disperse high velocity fragments. Effect is accompanied by blast
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?
A carriage fires with its wheels on the ground, when firing a mount will not have its wheels on the ground.
Name two functions of the carriage or mount?
Provide mobility and absorb recoil shock/ energy.
The saddle and the cradle are parts of the superstructure of a Gun. Name three others?
Recoil, Elevation Gears, Traverse Gears, Balancing, and 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?
Mechanism that returns the recoiled parts to their original position and holds them until the next round is fired
Name four parts that make up the basic structure of a gun?
Suspension and Brakes
Wheels and axles
Trails
Spades
What four components make up a conventional medium mortar?
Tube, base plate, support arms, sights
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
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
