A theoretical study for the design of a new ballistic range

The ballistic range has long been employed in a variety of engineering fields such as high-velocity impact engineering, projectile aerodynamics, creation of new materials, etc, since it can create an extremely high-pressure state in very short time. Of many different types of ballistic ranges developed to date, two-stage light gas gun is being employed most extensively. In the present study, a theoretical work has been made to develop a new type of ballistic range which can easily simulate a flying projectile. The present ballistic range consists of high-pressure tube, piston, pump tube, shock tube and launch tube. The effect of adding a shock tube in between the pump tube and launch tube is investigated. This improvement is identified as the reduction in pressures in the high pressure tube and pump tube while maintaining the projectile velocity. Equations of motions of piston and projectile are solved using Runge-Kutta methods. Dependence of projectile velocity on various design factors such as high pressure tube pressure, piston mass, projectile mass, area ratio of pump tube to launch tube and type of driver gas in the pump tube are also analyzed. Effect of various gas combinations is also investigated. Calculations show that projectile velocities of the order 8 km/sec could be achieved with the present ballistic range.