Laser Ignition Testing of Two-Piece Tank Ammunition for Advanced Tank Cannon System (ATACS)

In this paper, new results on the development of a laser-based ignition system for ATACS will be presented. Full scale testing of a multipoint ignition system in a large caliber gun ballistics simulator are in progress. A NdGlass laser is used to initiate a vented igniter tube containing blackpowder at multiple locations and a booster charge of blackpowder at the interface. The results of pressure-time data and high-speed photography show that both ammunition components ignite within a time delay of less than 1 ms and that flamespread was uniform throughout the propellant bed. Blackpowder classifications, the number of ignition points and locations, and laser parameters such as energy and pulse duration will be varied to optimize performance of the system. The experimental results from parametric investigations of the direct laser-based ignition of the propellant JA2 will also be presented. Quantitative measurement of the relationships between laser energy, laser pulse duration, and percent surface irradiation on ignition delay and ignition threshold have been made. The effect of molecular oxygen concentration on ignition threshold in solid propellant initiation has also been determined.