INFLUENCE OF ARTILLERY WEAPON BARREL SUPERHEAT ON

ABRASION WEAR RESISTANCE OF MATERIAL

doc. dr. sc. Mirko Jakopčić Croatian Defence Academy ‘’Petar Zrinski”
Ilica 256 B, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
e-mail: mjakopc@yahoo.com

doc. dr. sc. Krešimir Grilec Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval
Architecture, University of Zagreb, Ivana Lučića 5,
10000 Zagreb, Croatia
e-mail: kgrilec@fsb.hr

Keywords: weapon barrel, fire rate, superheat, abrasion

ABSTRACT
This paper researches the influence of the artillery weapon barrel superheat on the
change of abrasion wear resistance of material.
A great quantity of the powder gasses evolves by the weapon firing in the weapon
barrel. The temperature of these gasses reaches up to 3800 K, and their maximum pressure
is up to 6000 bar. The powder gasses have a compound chemical composition, so they
make a very aggressive atmosphere in relation to the barrel material. At the same time, the
powder gasses contain the solid particles too: the soot particles and the unburned powder
grains. These particles are moving by great speed in the strong turbulent streaming of the
powder gasses.
At the same time, the contact pressure on the rotating band and the barrel bore
surfaces appears. It results with normal force effect on the contact surfaces, so a strong
sliding friction force is generated on those surfaces. The sliding friction energy transforms
to the heat energy too, so the barrel material heating is very intensive in such firing
conditions. Therefore, the rate of fire is determined for every artillery weapon to keep the
barrel heating on the allowed level.
The test samples production was based on the previous analysis of some weapon
barrel materials. So, the abrasion test samples are made of heat treated steel 42CrMo4.
This steel has the similar chemical, metallographic and mechanical properties as the
analysed weapon barrel steel.
The test samples were tempered at 600 °C, 700 °C, 800 °C and 900 °C, over a
period of one hour, and then air cooled. It’s the similar way of heating and cooling as the
superheating and cooling of the barrel by intensive firing.
The wear resistance is represented by the sample mass loss after 100, 500 and 1000
rotations of rubber wheel. The test results represent that unheated samples have got the
best wear resistance in comparison with the heated samples.
The wear resistance increases as many as 5,6 % if material was previously heated at
600 °C. The heating of material at 700 °C causes 9,8 % and the heating at 800 °C causes
15,1 % more intensive material wear. The significant material wear increase is shown in
the samples which were heated at the 900 °C. The samples heated in this way represent as
many as 58 % bigger material loss than unheated samples.
The test results show that adhering to the determined fire rate is very important: the
exceeded fire causes the weapon barrel superheat, as well as the significant decrease of the
material wear resistance.
1. INTRODUCTION
The firing process is a strong and dynamic process which takes place in the weapon
barrel. During this process the powder burns intensively and a great quantity of the hot
powder gasses evolves. The high pressure of the powder gasses enables the projectile
movement to the barrel mouth. The projectile movement time through the barrel lasts about
0,01 second and in this time the projectile reaches the maximum muzzle velocity (v 0) of up
to 1800 m/s 1.
The big heat quantity is developed by the powder burning, and both the powder
gasses and the barrel material are heated by this heat energy. The powder gasses may be
heated up to 3800 K, and their maximum pressure is up to 6000 bar [1], 2.The powder
gasses have a compound chemical composition: they contain CO, CO2, H2O, H2 and N2, so
they make a very aggressive atmosphere in relation to the barrel material [2].
At the same time, the powder gasses contain the solid particles too: the soot
particles and the unburned powder grains. Because of the strong turbulent streaming of the
pressed powder gasses, these particles are moving by the high speed in the barrel bore and
hit the bore surface.
At the same time, the contact pressure between the both centring and rotating band
of the projectile and the bore surface appears. The rotating band is cut into the grooved
barrel profile. So, the high contact pressure as well as the strong sliding force appears on
the contact surfaces between the projectile bands and the bore surface. The sliding friction
energy transforms to the significant quantity of the heat energy too.
Total amount of heat developed by the powder burning and the projectile
movement through the barrel bore heats the barrel material, from the bore surface layers to
the barrel’s outer surface. Because of high quantity of heat energy, the temperature of bore
surface layers may reach up to several hundreds degrees Celsius and even up 1200C [1],
[2]. This superheat may cause the change of the barrel material microstructure, as well as
of its mechanical properties.
The barrel heating is not uniform during the transverse section: the bore surface is
heated the most, but the material layers in the direction of the barrel’s outer surface are
colder. In this way, the outer layers of material don’t enable the thermal dilatation of the
inside warmer layers. So, thermal stress increases in the direction of the barrel bore surface
[3]. Finally, this stress may cause the appearance of surface micro cracks [4].
In accordance with all above mentioned, the firing process has a compound
tribological effect on the weapon barrel: the mechanical, thermal and chemical processes
affect the barrel. It is obvious that many wear mechanisms exist in the barrel in these
conditions at the same time: the abrasion, the erosion, the adhesion, the fatigue and the
tribocorrosion [5], so that the increase of the barrel heat level probably changes the wear
resistance of material.
This paper presents the procedure and the results of the abrasion wear experiment.
The barrel material of chosen artillery weapon was tested. A portion of test samples wasn’t
tempered previously, but the others were tempered at 600C, 700C, 800C and 900C
and air cooled. It is similar to the superheating and cooling of the barrel by intensive firing.
The influence of the weapon barrel superheat on the abrasion wear resistance of
material will be shown by the analysis of the obtained experiment results.

2. TEST SAMPLES PREPARATION

The chemical composition analysis and the hardness measurement of material were
done for barrel of some artillery weapons: the field gun, the antiaircraft gun and the mortar.
It was established that the material of each barrel is one of quenched and tempered steels
[5]. The abrasion test samples used for the research in this paper were made of soft
annealed 42CrMo4 steel (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Test sample for abrasion wear

The chemical composition of test samples is shown in Table 1.

Table 1. Chemical composition of test samples (42CrMo4)

C Si Mn Cr Ni Mo
Chemical composition (%)
0,41 0,20 0,75 1,05 - 0,23
The samples’ surfaces have previously been ground and they have got N6 quality
because the bore surface has the same machining quality [6]. The hardness of 32±2 HRC
was measured on the weapon barrel bore [5]. To obtain this hardness, the samples were oil
quenched at 860°C and tempered at 600°C for two hours [5], [7].
One of test samples was subsequently cross-sectioned and prepared for the
metallographic recording. The cross-section surfaces were ground and polished previous to
etching by NITAL. The metallographic recording of the quenched and tempered sample
cross-section is shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2. Metallographic recording of

quenched
and tempered sample (42CrMo4)

The homogeneous structure of the tempered martensite is seen in above figure.

The test samples were heated before the abrasion wear by the solid particles.
Therefore, four by four samples were tempered at 600°C, 700°C, 800°C and 900°C over a
period of one hour and air cooled. These are the possible heating temperatures of the barrel
bore surface which evolve by the intensive firing process, respectively when the allowed
rate of fire is exceeded.
 One sample of every tempered group was cold cross cut and prepared for the
metallographic recording. The cross-sections of the samples were ground and polished and
subsequently corroded by NITAL. The metallographic recordings of sample cross sections
are shown in Figure 3.

a b

c d

Figure 3. Metallographic recordings of tempered and air cooled test samples

a-sample tempered at 600°C, b-sample tempered at 700°C, c-sample tempered at 800°C, d-
sample tempered at 900°C

The hardness was measured on the samples’ surfaces and the means of the
measuring results are shown in Table 2.

Table 2. Surface hardness of test samples

Temperature of previously heating (°C) 600 700 800 900
Mean hardness (HV1) 495 476 397 412

In accordance with the metallographic recordings (Fig. 3) and the values of

measured hardness (Table 2), as well in accordance with CCT diagram of 42CrMo4 steel
(Fig. 4), the structure of tempered martensite is kept by the material heating at 600°C and
700°C and air cooling.
The samples tempered at 800°C and 900°C maintain the uniform small-grained
structure. However, with obtained hardness of about 400 HV1, the bainite may appear in
the micro structure of the test steel, as well as the ferrite-pearlite structure, along with the
basic structure of martensite.
 Figure 4. CCT diagram of 42CrMo4 steel [7]

Test samples were heat treated in the Laboratory for heat treating at the Faculty of
Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture in Zagreb. Also, the samples were
prepared for the metallographic recording and recorded in the Laboratory for
Metallographic, and the tribological tests were performed in the Laboratory for Tribology
at the same Faculty.

3. TESTING OF ABRASIVE WEAR AND TEST RESULTS

The abrasive wear of barrel material was tested. The testing was made by modified
‘’dry sand/rubber wheel’’ method, in accordance with the ASTM G 65-94 standard. The
modification means that the sample mass loss is measured at the force load F=130 N, after
100; 500 and 1000 rotations of the rubber wheel.
The macro picture of the final worn surface is shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5. Sample surface after abrasive wear

 The wear track is well marked on the Figure 5.
Four wear cycles were done for every level of previous sample tempering. The
mean values of the measured mass loss are represented in Table 3.

Table 3. Mass loss (gr) in the abrasion wear

Previous sample Mass loss (gr) after wheel rotation number
heating (°C) 100 500 1000
0,0099; 0,0137; 0,0647; 0,618; 0,1149; 0,1102;
Unheated sample 0,0131; 0,0117 0,0667; 0,0629 0,1088; 0,1127
mean value 0,0121 mean value 0,0640 mean value 0,1116
0,0180; 0,0171; 0,0715; 0,0653; 0,1307; 0,1094;
600 0,0124; 0,0148 0,0702; 0,0662 0,1261; 0,1055
mean value 0,0156 mean value 0,0683 mean value 0,1179
0,0154; 0,0112; 0,0773; 0,0702; 0,1322; 0,1283;
700 0,0129; 0,0177 0,0694; 0,0676 0,1159; 0,1136
mean value 0,0143 mean value 0,0711 mean value 0,1225
0,0182; 0,0204; 0,0652; 0,0676; 0,1353; 0,1316;
800 0,0129; 0,0141 0,0712; 0,0728 0,1188; 0,1284
mean value 0,0164 mean value 0,0692 mean value 0,1285
0,0224; 0,0220; 0,0925; 0,0939; 0,1637; 0,1572;
900 0,0195; 0,0197 0,0834; 0,0838 0,1662; 0,1520
mean value 0,0209 mean value 0,0884 mean value 0,1598

The distribution of the samples' mass loss is represented in Figure 6.

Figure 6. Distribution of samples' mass loss

The significant influence of the barrel superheat on the material wear increase is
seen in Figure 6. Therefore, adhering to the determined firing rate is very important to
prevent the barrel superheat and its consequent intensive wear.
For example, Figure 11 shows typical gun bore wear at the origin of barrel rifling.
4. CONCLUSION
This paper researches the influence of the weapon barrel superheat on the change of
the material abrasion wear intensity. The test samples were made of 42CrMo4 steel and
quenched and tempered, to obtain the similar metallographic and mechanical properties as
the weapon barrel steel. Before the testing, the samples were heated at 600ºC, 700ºC,
800ºC and 900ºC over a period of one hour and then air cooled. One group of previously
unheated samples was also tested there.
The uniform structure of the tempered martensite was presented on the
metallographic recordings of the samples. The measured hardness on the samples' cross-
section surfaces is higher in the test samples which were tempered at 600ºC and 700ºC
(495 HV1 and 476 HV1). Also, the hardness is lower in the samples tempered at 800ºC
and 900ºC (397 HV1 and 412 HV1). In accordance with CTT diagram of 42CrMo4 steel,
the portion of the bainite, as well as the portion of the ferite-perlite may be contained in the
microstructure with the basic martensite.
The test results represent that unheated samples have got the best wear resistance in
comparison with the heated samples. In comparison with the material loss of unheated
samples, the material loss increases from 5,6 % if the samples were previously heated at
600ºC, up to as many as 58 % if the heating level was 900ºC.
These results have shown that the determined fire rate is very important to adhere
to: the fire rate must not be exceeded, because it causes the weapon barrel superheat and
significant decrease of the material wear resistance.

REFERENCES
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[3] Wu, B., Chen, G., Xia, W., 2008., ''Heat transfer in a 155 mm compound gun barrel
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