ARMY AMMUNITION DATA SHEETS: ARTILLERY SYSTEMS

By E. MAERK

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION TO BALLISTICS 1 CHAPTER 2 INTERNAL BALLISTICS 10 CHAPTER 3 EXTERNAL BALLISTICS 48 CHAPTER 4 TERMINAL BALLISTICS 90 CHAPTER 5 BALLISTIC METEOROLOGY 109 CHAPTER 6 VARIATIONS AND CORRECTIONS 117 CHAPTER 7 ACCURACY AND CONSISTENCY OF ARTILLERY FIRE 140 CHAPTER 8 FIRE CONTROL DATA 167 CHAPTER 9 AMMUNITION 173 CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION TO BALLISTICS SECTION 1 GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1 THIS MANUAL IS ONLY AN INTRODUCTION TO THE VAST AND COMPLICATED SUBJECT OF BALLISTICS IT DOES NOT DEAL IN ADVANCED THEORY BUT DOES CONTAIN MATERIAL FOR THE BENEFIT OF THOSE WHO WISH TO PURSUE THIS FUNDAMENTAL ASPECT OF GUNNERY BEYOND THE BAREST ESSENTIALS IN THIS MANUAL BALLISTICS IS DISCUSSED IN THREE SEPARATE PHASES A INTERNAL BALLISTICS THIS CONCERNS THE EVENTS THAT TAKE PLACE FROM CHARGE IGNITION TO THE MOMENT WHEN THE PROJECTILE LEAVES THE MUZZLE B EXTERNAL BALLISTICS THIS DEALS WITH THE MOTION OF THE PROJECTILE FROM THE MOMENT OF LEAVING THE MUZZLE TO THE MOMENT OF IMPACT OR BURST C TERMINAL BALLISTICS THIS DEALS WITH THE MOTION OF THE PROJECTILE AND PARTS OR FRAGMENTS THEREOF FROM THE MOMENT OF IMPACT OR BURST 2 FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME AFTER THE PROJECTILE LEAVES THE MUZZLE THE PROJECTILE IS ACTED UPON BY THE PRESSURE OF THE EMERGING GAS THIS IS KNOWN AS THE TRANSITIONAL PHASE OF BALLISTICS SOMETIMES REFERRED TO AS INTERMEDIATE BALLISTICS ITS EFFECT MUST BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT DURING THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE EQUIPMENT WHEN SUCH FACTORS AS THE FUNCTIONING OF THE WEAPON THE STEADINESS AND STABILITY OF THE GUN AND THE USE OF A MUZZLE BRAKE ARE CONSIDERED ITS EFFECT MUST ALSO BE CONSIDERED IN THE SELECTION OF THE POINT OR POINTS OF MEASUREMENT FROM WHICH TO DEDUCE MUZZLE VELOCITY MV THE POINT S SELECTED IS USUALLY A FEW METRES FORWARD OF THE MUZZLE WHERE THE EFFECTS ARE KNOWN TO BE NEGLIGIBLE AND WHERE IT CAN BE ASSUMED THAT THE PROJECTILE HAS BEEN SUBJECTED TO THE USUAL RETARDATION DUE TO AIR RESISTANCE DURING ITS FLIGHT FROM THE MUZZLE TO THE POINT OF MEASUREMENT THE EFFECTS OF THE TRANSITIONAL PHASE OF BALLISTICS ARE ASSUMED TO HAVE NO SIGNIFICANT INFLUENCE ON THE GUNNERY PROBLEM AND ARE THEREFORE NOT CONSIDERED IN ITS SOLUTION APPLICATION 3 GUNNERY IS THE PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF THE SCIENCE OF BALLISTICS TO THE ENGAGEMENT OF TARGETS IT IS APPLICABLE TO THE ENGAGEMENT OF TARGETS AND TO THE REDUCTION OF DATA OBTAINED BY SHOOTING TO A FORM SUITABLE FOR THE EVENTUAL RE ENGAGEMENT OF TARGETS WHILE THE APPROPRIATE DATA CAN BE ARRIVED AT BY USE OF A PROFORMA THROUGH A RATHER MECHANICAL PROCESS A KNOWLEDGE OF BALLISTICS AND AMMUNITION CHARACTERISTICS WILL ALLOW AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROCESS BEING FOLLOWED 1