Vented flash tubes have often been used in the ignition train of medium and large caliber weapon systems. Despite their long history of ballistic usage, there are undesirable features associated with uneven venting of the combustion products. Pressure measurements at various locations from the flash tube have shown severe variations with time, which is associated with spatially nonuniform mass discharging rate from the vent holes. Measured pressure profiles in the flash tube show counterintuitive, nonmonotonic pressure distributions with the lowest pressure in the middle of the venting section of the flash tube. A model of the flash tube venting process was developed to explain these phenomena using modern, high-order numerical schemes. Source terms accounting for mass addition from the black powder pellets, mass loss through the vent holes, wall friction, differential area changes, and volume changes from surface regression of black powder pellets were fully coupled in the model. The numerical results of this model reproduced the severe pressure variations and nonmonotonic pressure profiles observed in experiments. In general, they are caused by gas dynamic effects from a slowly moving normal shock wave in the middle portion of the venting section of the flash tube. As the driving pressure from the burning black powder pellets changes, the location of the normal shock wave jumps from one vent hole set to another, producing pressure variations observed in experiments. The physical understanding gained from this model solution has provided guidance for achieving more uniform mass discharging rate by varying the vent hole sizes as a function of distance along the flash tube.
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September 2010
Research Papers
Understanding Interior Ballistic Processes in a Flash Tube
Ryan W. Houim,
Ryan W. Houim
Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering,
rwh162@psu.edu
Pennsylvania State University
, University Park, PA 16802
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Kenneth K. Kuo
Kenneth K. Kuo
Distinguished Professor
Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering,
kenkuo@psu.edu
Pennsylvania State University
, University Park, PA 16802
Search for other works by this author on:
Ryan W. Houim
Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering,
Pennsylvania State University
, University Park, PA 16802rwh162@psu.edu
Kenneth K. Kuo
Distinguished Professor
Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering,
Pennsylvania State University
, University Park, PA 16802kenkuo@psu.edu
J. Appl. Mech. Sep 2010, 77(5): 051403 (9 pages)
Published Online: May 17, 2010
Article history
Received:
July 22, 2009
Revised:
September 25, 2009
Online:
May 17, 2010
Published:
May 17, 2010
Citation
Houim, R. W., and Kuo, K. K. (May 17, 2010). "Understanding Interior Ballistic Processes in a Flash Tube." ASME. J. Appl. Mech. September 2010; 77(5): 051403. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4001285
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