Investigation of plasma-augmented solid propellant interior ballistic processes

Experimental gun firings and computer simulations of hybrid solid propellant-electrothermal gun propulsion concepts are reported. The test firings were conducted using loose and compacted ball propellant in a 30-mm test fixture. A plasma capillary located at the breech of the gun was used both to ignite the propellant charge and to augment the ballistic process. Computer simulations of selected tests were conducted using modified lumped parameter interior ballistic models, which were originally developed for conventional charge simulations. More general optimization studies of the solid propellant electrothermal-chemical interior ballistic process are also discussed