Copyrighted Materials AMOP 706.242, CHAPTER 6 ROCKET-ASSISTED PROJECTILES 6-1. GENERAL ‘The kinetic energy which @ gun can impart to a projectile is limited by the diameter of the bore, the length of travel of the projectile in the tube, and by the curve of chamber pressure vs travel. ‘The muzzle energy can be increased by using @ bigger, longer or thicker gun tube, thus increasing the cost of the weapon and, more important, deereasing its mobility. But range is limited by the kinetic energy supplied to the pro- Jectile since each foot of trajectory subtracts from the kinetie energy an amount equal in magnitude to the drag force ‘To increase range, or to increase the pay- load carried to the same range, or to increase the velocity at target impact, without decreasing the mobility of the gun, the first step is to reduce the drag coeficient of the projectile to as low a value as is compatible with the projectile volume required by the projectile’s mission. The next step is to add kinetic energy to the projectile in ‘light. By imereasing the length of the projectile, ‘or by sacrificing some of the warhead volume, 4 rocket motor can be included in the projectile ‘The rocket thrust adds kinetic energy to the pro- Jectile in ight. The resulting projectile is called 4 “‘rocket-assisted projectile,"” or, equivalently, “‘gun-boosted rocket.”” ‘The burning of the rocket fuel can be controlled, or ‘‘programmed,”’ to be Jess than the drag foree, approximately equal to drag, or very much greater for @ short period. The addition of rocket motor increases the cost of the projectile and increases the storage space required for a given destructive eapability. by the maximum set-back acceleration which the propellant ean tolerate without erushing, but this limiting acceleration is surprisingly high. 62, MOMENTUM LIMITED SITUATION 62.1 Variation of Muzzle Energy, Chamber Pres- fe and Propellant with Weight of Pro- jectile Becuuse of the set-back acceleration limit, rocket-assisted projectiles are usually made heavier than the conventional ammunition fired from the sane gun. The muzzle velocity is then limited by the capacity of the recoil system, and decreases in proportion to the inerease in projectile weight. If we use the subscript “‘std"” to identify the -symbols relating to a projectile which is launched at the muzzle momentum limit, then mV = mu Vig (constant momentum) squaring, rearranging, and dividing both sides by two gives (muzzle energy decreases). Bvt = (Bet) maa Po Equating muzzle energy to the integral of the work done on the projectile by gas pressure in the un gives Af Pala (2 Af! Pa where P, = chamber pressure ‘A= bore areaCopyrighted Materials AMOP 706.242, CHAPTER 6 ROCKET-ASSISTED PROJECTILES 6-1. GENERAL ‘The kinetic energy which @ gun can impart to a projectile is limited by the diameter of the bore, the length of travel of the projectile in the tube, and by the curve of chamber pressure vs travel. ‘The muzzle energy can be increased by using @ bigger, longer or thicker gun tube, thus increasing the cost of the weapon and, more important, deereasing its mobility. But range is limited by the kinetic energy supplied to the pro- Jectile since each foot of trajectory subtracts from the kinetie energy an amount equal in magnitude to the drag force ‘To increase range, or to increase the pay- load carried to the same range, or to increase the velocity at target impact, without decreasing the mobility of the gun, the first step is to reduce the drag coeficient of the projectile to as low a value as is compatible with the projectile volume required by the projectile’s mission. The next step is to add kinetic energy to the projectile in ‘light. By imereasing the length of the projectile, ‘or by sacrificing some of the warhead volume, 4 rocket motor can be included in the projectile ‘The rocket thrust adds kinetic energy to the pro- Jectile in ight. The resulting projectile is called 4 “‘rocket-assisted projectile,"” or, equivalently, “‘gun-boosted rocket.”” ‘The burning of the rocket fuel can be controlled, or ‘‘programmed,”’ to be Jess than the drag foree, approximately equal to drag, or very much greater for @ short period. The addition of rocket motor increases the cost of the projectile and increases the storage space required for a given destructive eapability. by the maximum set-back acceleration which the propellant ean tolerate without erushing, but this limiting acceleration is surprisingly high. 62, MOMENTUM LIMITED SITUATION 62.1 Variation of Muzzle Energy, Chamber Pres- fe and Propellant with Weight of Pro- jectile Becuuse of the set-back acceleration limit, rocket-assisted projectiles are usually made heavier than the conventional ammunition fired from the sane gun. The muzzle velocity is then limited by the capacity of the recoil system, and decreases in proportion to the inerease in projectile weight. If we use the subscript “‘std"” to identify the -symbols relating to a projectile which is launched at the muzzle momentum limit, then mV = mu Vig (constant momentum) squaring, rearranging, and dividing both sides by two gives (muzzle energy decreases). Bvt = (Bet) maa Po Equating muzzle energy to the integral of the work done on the projectile by gas pressure in the un gives Af Pala (2 Af! Pa where P, = chamber pressure ‘A= bore area