Gun Barrel Wear & Erosion
Veritay Technology Inc has an extensive background in quantifying and mitigating gun tube erosion and wear. Large caliber gun tubes, in particular, represent a significant acquisition cost that makes extending the useful life of the tube greatly desirable.
Gun Tube Erosion Sensors
We have two types of sensors used to study gun tube wear. Our In-wall Thermocouples provide a non-intrusive means to measure the amount of heat transferred to the gun tube wall during the ballistic event. These thermocouples are the most commonly used sensor for studying gun barrel heating which can be related to barrel wear.
We also have gun barrel erosion studs available for directly measuring bore surface erosion. These studs require a through-hole to be drilled in the gun tube, so that the measurement surface is in contact with the propellant combustion gasses.
Erosion Test Fixture (ETF)
Veritay's Erosion Test Fixture is a specially modified 25mm cannon that uses a replaceable ring at the origin of rifling, where barrel heating and wear is typically greatest. This approach can be applied to other gun calibers fairly readily.
Prior to testing, the Erosion Ring is precisely measured to determine its initial condition. Once the test series is completed, the ring is measured again to quantify the amount of erosion.
The Erosion Test Fixture is best used to test the effectiveness of new bore coating technologies under actual ballistic conditions, and to evaluate novel propellant formulations and wear-reducing additives. Often results are compared to known standard rounds to establish a relationship between test results and expected performance in the gun system of interest.
Barrel Erosion Inhibitor
Veritay has developed effective gun barrel wear reducing additives in the form of a paste that can be added to the cartridge case. One of our formulations was originally developed for the M919 APFSDS round, our Erosion Inhibitors have been used in many U.S. Army and U.S. Navy ammunition applications, including ERGM.