Numerical simulations for artillery barrel temperature variation considering mechanical friction heat under continuous shots

Accurate modeling of artillery barrel temperature distribution is important to evaluate thermochemical-mechanical erosion and thermal shock. For such heat conduction problems, the previous works ignore fric-tional heat, especially for continuous shots. To end this, this paper proposes a numerical simulation approach for the temperature field on the inner barrel wall considering the frictional temperature rise. In the novel scheme, the frictional temperature between the barrel and the rotating band is derived from the frictional heat theory, and the heat transfer model is computed coupling the interior ballistic codes with the finite difference method. A close-formed solution for the continuous shots with an incomplete cooling barrel is provided, and followed by a finite element numerical simulation. The good agreement between the aforementioned two simulations dem-onstrates a good accuracy of the developed solution form. The results show that there is a temperature peak at the initial part of the rifling, which is much higher than the other parts, and far exceeds the critical phase transition temperature of the barrel steel material.

Automated summary

Accurately modeling the temperature distribution of artillery barrels is crucial for evaluating erosion and thermal shock. Previous studies have neglected the effect of frictional heat, particularly for continuous shots. This paper proposes a numerical simulation approach that considers the frictional temperature rise on the inner barrel wall. The frictional temperature between the barrel and the rotating band is derived from the frictional heat theory, and the heat transfer model is computed using the coupling of interior ballistic codes with the finite difference method. The developed solution for continuous shots with an incomplete cooling barrel is validated through finite element numerical simulation.